Fin de Siècle
by Kyuuketsuki Fang
Summary: Fin means the end. It's done. Finished. I was fifteen and my chance was over, or so I thought. Sometimes, the end of a story opens the prologue of the next. I found that out the hard way.
1. Le Début de Dina Commons

_Fin lost his opportunity when he was defeated in the Ever Grande Conference. Now, with his sister beginning her own journey, he has the second chance he never wanted. But the Apocalypse Project is a nightmare he's buried in his past, and it's come back to haunt him. How will he defeat an enemy that knows him better than he knows himself? Is it even possible to halt the end of the world?_

**Disclaimer: It should be very obvious what I do and do not own. Pokémon does not belong to Kyuuketsuki Fang, blah blah blah. :P**

**Chapter One: The Beginning of Dina Commons**

**-Route 106-**

Granite Cave was not the most welcoming training area, so I could not understand why my younger sister was so interested in the dank, heavy cavern. Dina had recently turned ten, and she had made it clear that there was nothing she wanted more than to become a trainer. I, having returned home from my own journey only months ago, was quick to assure her that travelling was not as luxurious as her storybooks described it to be. I lectured her for hours on end that most nights ended on the cold, rocky ground in some unknown forest or swamp, how wild Pokémon were vicious and unpredictable, how rare it was for a champion or a prodigy to emerge from Dewford City's population...

And I'd also quickly learned that anything Dina didn't want to hear would go into one ear and out the other.

Our parents had enough common sense to know that their daughter would not survive a day out in the real world. She was adventurous and daring, unlike me, her careful and somewhat lazy brother. As a result, Dina was not allowed outside of Dewford's borders without an escort.

I was fine with everything except the escort part.

Though I love my sister, most of the time, I found myself without any free time to lounge about. Taking care of the Pokémon I had raised within the five years following my tenth birthday was a heavy burden itself, and Dina's excursions in Granite Cave devoured the rest of my time. Whether it was collecting rare stones within the depths of the cave or photographing the Pokémon herds that could be found here and there, my sister was always busy with one thing or another.

It might have been her way of making up for the lack of real adventure in her life, and I understood enough of her plight to humor her expeditions enough to guide her through the cave twenty odd times a month.

On this particular occasion, Dina was dead set on catching herself a Pokémon. I had never heard her announce such a tremendous goal; she'd never even tried to participate in a real battle. I tried to reason with her, convince her that I'd lend her one of mine or even capture a Pokémon for her, but Dina was adamant on catching one on her own.

She had one shot.

We both knew that.

For her tenth birthday, our parents had ordered a special package for Dina: one pearly, brand new Pokéball. And all her hopes and dreams lay in that one fragile sphere.

I glanced down at me younger sister again, noting the determined expression on her face. I'd never noticed before now, but the way she sloppily tied her blonde hair in a sideways ponytail emphasized her brave personality. Her jaw was clenched and her cloudy blue eyes darkened with worry.

Granite Cave was not the most welcoming training area, but on this day, it felt considerably less hospitable. Five Makuhitas stood rigidly in front of its entrance, staring at the ocean distantly and not even acknowledging us as we trying to move them.

"Well!" I was the first to give up. "Too bad. Looks like today isn't your day, squirt."

I tried to turn around and march back to the city, but Dina elbowed me in the gut and I just winced instead.

"If the Makuhita won't let me go inside," Dina said shrugging, "then I'll just have to catch the Makuhita instead."

I sighed. "I was hoping you would somehow overlook that possibility."

Dina shook her head. "No way. I wouldn't be discouraged by something as simple as this. I guess Makuhita are kind of cute, and you know, I'd be like Brawly if I could raise one."

She readied the Pokéball in her hand. The nearest Makuhita shifted, but the rest remained stationary. I saw Dina turn her gaze to the one that had moved. Her fingers tightened around the ball, and then her arm drew back and she moved to fling the Pokéball at her unmoving target.

But there was a flash of tan, orange, and blue.

Without making the decision to, I tackled Dina to the sand. We tumbled a couple of feet to the side, narrowly avoiding the powerful Arm Thrust that came exploding out of the cave entrance. A Hariyama, presumably the mother, took the position behind her five Makuhitas and stared down at us, the two humans who had almost stolen one of her children. I gaped openly while Dina began to mutter to herself, drawing circles on the Pokéball with her finger.

"I didn't know there was a Hariyama here," I murmured lightly, brushing the sand off of his face with an arm. "Maybe we should leave them alone."

Dina had other ideas, and she protested strongly, her face desperate as she began spouting arguments. "But I haven't gotten a Pokémon yet, and I really want one! Brother, I'll never ever ask for anything else, just don't take me back. I want this Makuhita, and I'm going to catch it even if I have to fight the Hariyama myself!"

She got up and took a step towards the Fighting Pokémon, making me leap to my feet to stop her.

"W-woah! No, I wouldn't take you back if you're this determined," I said hurriedly. "Just, think this through, okay, Dina? That Hariyama would kick you to next Thursday, no lie."

I tried to get her to back down, but the damage was done. The Hariyama saw the possible threat and was ushering her babies inside the cave. When all was secure, she turned slowly to face me and my ward.

"Uh, nice Hariyama," I soothed, to no avail. The Hariyama furrowed her brow and raised a fist in warning.

I did not need to tell Dina to back away slowly. There were no sudden movements as we edged towards the shoreline, our eyes never leaving the infuriated Pokémon's face.

Then, in the same second, Dina tripped over her other foot, and the Hariyama jumped at the opportunity to bring another Arm Thrust hurtling towards my head. Reflexes allowed me to whip out my own Pokéball, the only one I had on me, and lob the ball in the air.

"Mawile, Iron Defense!"

The summoned Pokémon curled up into a ball, the black leaf on its head flipping over and glowing silver. Arm Thrust collided with the makeshift shield, but the impact alone sent sand clouds flying out around us.

Dina coughed, her eyes widened in admiration. The Hariyama did not share her feelings. The Pokémon roared in fury and threw yet another Arm Thrust at her new foe, but this time, there was no hesitation in me. I said nothing, but Mawile knew to open the jaws on her black leaf and clamp them mercilessly over the Hariyama's fist.

"Mawile, finish with Faint Attack. Dina, get ready."

Mawile disappeared from in front of me, leaving us vulnerable, but she revealed herself not a second later behind the Hariyama's shoulder. The Fighting Pokémon froze, apprehensive, and then she was put out of her confusion as Mawile cloaked the both of them in darkness.

Dina rose, stepping firmly in front of me. The Pokéball in her hand was lifted once more, but as she began to throw the device, her arm fell limp, and Dina fell to her knees in the sand.

"Dina?" I cried. "Are you hurt?"

"I can't do it, Fin," mumbled the girl, lost in her self-pity. "I can't catch my own Pokémon, because if I take Hariyama away, those poor Makuhita will be without a mother, and I can't imagine doing something so cruel. Maybe I'm just not made out of trainer material."

I took a deep breath and smiled despite myself. Kneeling down to ruffle my sister's hair, I said, "That's a hard decision to make, Dina, and it's a good one."

Dina smiled bitterly and started to hug me, but a startled cry interrupted her. Mawile's damaged body flew high through the air and landed with an audible thump some twenty feet away. I drew away and assumed a battle stance, looking for the attacker.

The Hariyama stood coldly, arm extended.

Dina inhaled sharply as she tried to figure out how the Fighting Pokémon had recovered, but I muttered darkly, "It's not the same one. Most likely the father coming for vengeance."

True to my words, the mother Hariyama still remained broken on the ground. I gritted my teeth, willing myself to stay near my sister instead of running out to check on Mawile. The Pokémon struggled to her feet again, wincing in pain.

"Alright then, Mawile," I ordered evenly. "Use Bite."

Mawile nodded in affirmation, her leaf jaws opening to reveal two rows of glimmering teeth. Both Pokémon raced towards each other, the Hariyama preparing some sort of Force Palm technique.

I changed my mind and shouted, "Scratch that; use Sucker Punch!"

My Pokémon adjusted quickly, vanishing on the spot and slamming against Hariyama faster than the eye could see. But the Fighting Pokémon was brighter than we had given it credit, and he caught on immediately. The Force Palm's power disappeared as his two orange hands wrapped around Mawile's smaller body. The Hariyama knelt down and then jumped, flipped over, and slammed the poor Steel type against the sand.

"Mawile!" I called, surprised at such a quick reaction. I fumbled for the Pokéball, hurrying to return the Pokémon before the Hariyama could exact revenge. But the small sphere was knocked off of my belt by my own clumsy hand, and Mawile's opponent raised an arm to finish her off.

I dove for the Pokéball; Dina covered her eyes with her hands. But the blow never struck the small Mawile, and a great blast of water collided with Hariyama's back instead.

A blue ball of a Pokémon bobbed up and down in the ocean behind them, before beaching against the shore. Dina peeked through her fingers, and her jaw dropped at the sheer size of the Wailmer.

Spanning six feet in both height and width, the new Pokémon rumbled and began to spin around. The Hariyama prepared a Force Palm to counter the Wailmer's Rollout. The whale Pokémon's attack kicked up sand in its wake, slamming with tremendous force into the awaiting fist of the Hariyama. But neither attack canceled the other out, and the powers merely collided over and over again, the giant wheel that was Wailmer pushing against the jagged energy gathering in its opponent's palm.

I backed off, finally managing to return Mawile to her Pokéball. Dina, behind me, watched the two Pokémon's exchange with a distant glaze in her eyes.

"Dina," I said, not really expecting her to even hear me. "Run. Go back to town, and don't look back."

"No," came the curt reply. Wow, she was really making my job easier.

The Wailmer bounced back suddenly, squirting another Water Gun in the Hariyama's face. The offending Pokémon roared in indignation as his pride took another nosedive. Wailmer tossed a Water Pulse in his way, and in a quick counter, the Hariyama screamed again and split the attack through the middle with Arm Thrust. Both Pokémon glared at each other, doused in moisture.

They charged, repeating their first attacks. Wailmer rolled circles around Hariyama, who stopped to stand rigidly to prepare an attack to stop the whale's rampage. I was forced to jump back as Force Palm intercepted the Wailmer, sending rolls of dirt in our direction.

The Rollout stopped in its tracks, revealing a bruised and battered Pokémon who had obviously underestimated the Hariyama's brute strength. Beside me, Dina whimpered, already touched by the Wailmer's rescue. I held her hand as we crouched on the edge of the makeshift battlefield.

The Wailmer began his attack again, but Hariyama was ready. As Rollout grew bigger and stronger, the Fighting type merely stood and took the full brunt of the move. Though Wailmer was huge, Hariyama was a giant. Standing over seven feet tall, Hariyama rammed his arm into Wailmer's side, grabbing the whale in the process. A swift kick to the side followed by Vital Throw tossed Wailmer into the air and into the ocean, creating a deafening splash as water lapped over the shore and flooded into the sand.

It was followed by a deafening silence.

Dina stared mournfully at the water, mentally urging Wailmer to rise again and destroy Hariyama in some super move that it had just learned. I, on the other hand, focused on the more immediate danger and hoped desperately that the Wailmer had gotten Hariyama so worked up that he had forgotten about us.

The Fighting Pokémon slowly turned to glare down at us maniacally.

"Well, darn," I mumbled, scrambling for survival ideas. The Hariyama did not grant me that opportunity; he raised his fist again to finish the job.

"If I die, you can have my Pokémon plushie collection," whispered Dina. "Also, tell Mom and Dad that I love them and that I'm sorry for all the times I made them yell."

"Small problem, squirt," I said, still eyeing the chuckling Hariyama. "I ain't going nowhere. If you die, then I'm a goner too."

"Love you, Bro."

"Mhm."

Our touching last moments only lasted a couple of seconds before the Hariyama let his hand drop down.

Then, blackness.

...

Or not.

I opened my eyes quickly after a splash of salt water hit me in the forehead, making me gag. The weakened Wailmer came barreling out of the ocean, and Dina squealed, soaked as well. Hariyama abandoned us for the downfall of his previous opponent, but Wailmer collided into the side of the cave, rebounding to strike Hariyama in the back. The Fighting Pokémon stumbled forward, bringing his large blue hands upward to catch himself.

Wailmer spun around again, like a top, this time bringing a tower of water up from the ground and sending the Whirlpool crashing down on Hariyama. A second twister picked the limp body up and hurled it deep into Granite Cave. The Wailmer moaned its victory, watching the Makuhita huddle around their fallen parents. At the same time, a shining Pokéball was thrown, tapping once on the top of the Wailmer. It was so unexpected that the Wailmer offered no resistance at all, still trying to figure out what had happened. The Pokéball closed before the first shudder.

"I think that I am in love. I'm naming him Wae," announced Dina as she stepped up to claim her first Pokémon.

I blanched. "What? This worked out? Huh?"

"Go with the flow," said Dina carelessly, "and by the way, if anyone asks, the flow is telling you to say that I caught Wae all by myself."

XXX

**-Route 106-**

"Tabitha, did you get the footage?"

"Yes, ma'am. Every last second of it."

"Excellent. I believe we have overestimated our dear little Fin. Unable to defeat a Hariyama? Oh my. I believe that this is why he was unable to conquer the Ever Grande Conference. He still hasn't learned. This is why he never will get stronger."

"Is that a problem, ma'am?"

"No, I suppose that it is not. After all, it isn't dear _Fin,_ that we are after."

"The girl?"

"Teehee, Dina Commons. I like the sound of that. Oh, wait. Even better; Dina Commons _of the Apocalypse Project."_

**...I'm aware that the Apocalypse Project is pretty much the most cliché name possible. But it goes well with the theme, "The End," that I based this story on, so yeah. –winces anyways-**

**Accepting OCs, yes, but through PM. If you don't follow the guidelines on my profile, I will be forced to contact you and either harass you for more information or disregard your OC completely.**

**Constructive criticism is welcome with open arms. If you flame with the intention of making me feel bad, you will be laughed at/mocked/what have you. I'm not known to have a frequently high level of maturity. :3**

**Thanks for reading; hope to see you later~**

**Credits**

**So far, all OCs are mine.**


	2. Le Signe de Pouvoir

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Full OC credits below.**

**Chapter Two: ****The Wave of Power**

**-Dewford Town-**

"Come on, Brawly," Dina whined, hurrying to catch up with the older man. She had challenged him to a battle as soon as she had returned from her wild excursion, me tailing her helplessly as she rambled about how she was going to be the best trainer in history. Her short lived dreams were crushed when the Dewford Gym Leader flat out denied a battle. "Can you really look me in the eye – me, your practically best friend since forever – and say no?"

"You're just a tiny ripple in a sea of whirlpools," Brawly said, walking faster, unaware that if he sped up, so would Dina, forcing me to practically run after them. "You've just begun riding your wave and haven't gotten your feet under you."

Dina took the deep breath signaling the start of her rant. "But Mom and Dad said I could go on my own journey as long as Fin is with me, and I manage to beat you, and you can't say no because that's against the rules, and I've known you ever since I was really, really small, and you're a nice guy, and please, Brawly, I've lived for this moment! You can't say no!"

Brawly sighed, shaking his head. "Even if you could beat me, you still wouldn't because my Gym rules dictate a two-on-two battle, and I'm not even going to bend them for you, wave-ling."

Immediately, Dina turned away from grabbing at his arms and jumped at me. "Oh, please, Brother, tell him that he has to accept my challenge because I will die if I can't go on this journey. You've seen how Wae was out there! He was amazing. I know I can win this; make Brawly say yes!"

She jumped up and down, stomping on my toes quite a number of times before I clamped my palms on her shoulders. "Dina, settle down."

She settled down, gazing into my eyes firmly. We remained like this for a minute or two, with Brawly waiting awkwardly until we were done having our wordless dispute.

Naturally, I caved in and handed her Mawile's Pokéball. "Have at it, squirt."

"Yes, I love you oh so much, Brother. You're so amazing; you've got to be the nicest person ever!"

Brawly gawked at me. "Fin, you let her beat you? Did you crash in the three years you were missing? You can't let her do this."

I hung my head low sulkily. "I didn't go missing. I was just aimlessly wandering. And you seriously don't know how soft she can make her eyes go."

"Well," Brawly said slyly. "If she goes on her journey, you'll have to tag along. You won't have a bed, you might have to face trainers you've met before, you might end up begging for food on the streets..."

Darn, he got me. I hadn't thought of that before, but as soon as I realized what the start of Dina's adventures meant for me, I panicked. "Wait a minute, Dina, I've changed my mind. I want Mawile back!"

My sister gave her weird cackle that she used whenever she's outdone me at something and ran away, holding Mawile in front of her. "You can't catch me! Brawly has to battle me!"

The mentioned Gym Leader merely winced away. "Well, Makuhita, buddy," he said to his Pokéball. "Looks like we actually will have to renovate the gym. Probably because it's likely not to be there anymore after today."

I could have sworn the Pokéball bobbed sympathetically.

XXX

**-Dewford Gym-**

The gym was comfortingly familiar. When I was younger, I had practically lived inside these shiny stone barriers. Dina, following my example, had done so even more, especially after I had left for my journey.

Both of us, and Brawly, were greeted by the blunt steely walls, the drab cemented flooring, the jagged boulders that emerged from the surface of the thin, rectangular stream that marked the battlefield. Home, was my immediate thought. I laughed, but I didn't know why.

"This is a battle between Gym Leader Brawly of Dewford," announced the judge, a young man whom I knew as Eric, "and Darlah—"

"Dina," snarled Dina.

"—Commons of...also, Dewford Town. Each trainer may use two Pokémon, and the match is ongoing until one trainer has no usable Pokémon left or until lunch break. Only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon and—oh, screw this. None of you are listening to me anyways, and even if you were, Gym Leader has already heard it a billion times and Dina, you wouldn't care! This isn't even a formal battle. Why am I here? I'm not paid enough to work overtime..."

"So those are the rules," drawled Brawly, not listening. "Let's ride, Makuhita. Preferably not too big of a wave though, please and thank you."

The Makuhita popped out, and because I sat on Brawly's side of the gym, I scooted back. Bad Granite Cave memories...

"What?" Dina cried. "You think because I just started out that you won't have to go all out to beat me? How dare you."

Brawly replied, "No, I just think that I won't have to go all out on this Wae you're bragging about. That you will obviously send out first."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do."

Dina glared at him, smoke practically rising from her ears. "Oh yeah? Wae, go wipe that smirk off his face!"

The blue haired Gym Leader turned to catch my eye. We both grimaced, a common reaction to everything Dina did. "I have no comment for this."

"She's so not my sister," I groaned. "She's my parents' daughter, nothing more."

"Shut up, Brawly," said Dina, pointedly ignoring me. "Give 'im something to complain about; Rollout, Wae!"

"Focus Energy!" bellowed Brawly.

The blue ball jumped, accelerating in the air, before descending upon the Makuhita. Brawly's Pokémon stared at the approaching Wailmer, readying his fighting stance. They collided, the yellow Fighting Pokémon extending his arms to catch his opponent. Wae pushed, wearing away at the flooring beneath him, dislodging chucks of pavement and spraying them through the air. Makuhita was forced back despite his straining to maintain his ground.

"Alright, good work," said Brawly. "Now, use Vital Throw."

"Water Pulse!" countered Dina. "Knock him out!"

The Makuhita struggled to put a fist beneath the whale. Managing to place a firm grip on Wae's underbelly, he pulled upward with all his strength, just in time to catch a torrent of water with his face. Water Pulse sent Wae flying without Makuhita's efforts, and although it was a direct hit, Makuhita shrugged the damage off.

"Dina, you know better than to try a Water attack. We live in water; breathe it. It's our ally. Don't even try to turn it against us," Brawly smirked.

My sister whined, "Aw, no fair. I grew up here too. Why don't I get any cool advantages? Being the challenger sucks!"

"Give up?" I sat up straighter, hopeful.

Dina took her eyes off of the battle for a brief moment to stare at me. Then she laughed.

"N-n-not a ch-chance..." she giggled, wiping tears from her eyes. I looked away, cursing the feeling of foolishness that only a sibling could induce.

"Don't get distracted, wave-ling!" warned Brawly. "Tsunami time! Overcome them with the terror of your Force Palm, Makuhita."

He grinned in unison with his Pokémon, throwing a punch in the air as Makuhita drew a hand back, summoning a writhing plethora of raw energy.

"Water Pulse!" demanded Dina. I was beginning to wonder if she really knew any of her Pokémon's other moves.

Brawly thought so too. He taunted her, "That isn't going to work! A wave can try to tackle the cliff as much as it cares to, but it will always break against the rocky walls!"

A pulsing lash of Force Palm sliced through the air, towards Wae. The Wailmer inhaled, squeezed his eyes shut, and released a laser of water. I ducked down to avoid being drenched for the second time that day as the water went wild. Makuhita's boomerang of condensed power cut through the attack like butter, landing a fatal strike on Wae's stomach. My attempts at preserving my attire ended up futile. The remnants of the Wailmer's retaliation submitted to gravity, forming a shallow pool on the ground as well as nesting in my clothes.

I flinched as Wae hit the ground, dazed and battered and entirely unfit to conti—

"Wae is unable to continue battling. Leader wins." Eric checked his watch. "Raticates, a whole 'nother hour before we can break for lunch."

"No fair!" shouted Dina. "You cheater. There's no way that a Force Palm could overpower a Water Pulse."

"You forget that one masters a wave, not by power, but by experience," explained Brawly, somehow without really explaining anything.

Dina shrugged. "Unless that one is one in a million. You know, like me," she added, bragging. "It's not every beginner who gets to use a super-duper cool and strong Pokémon who's already been to the Ever Grande Conference! Me and my Mawile'll destroy you."

"H-hey," I shouted in indignation, "that's _my_ Mawile!"

"_My Mawile_," called out Dina with unneeded volume, "let's win this!"

Mawile flipped through the air, landing daintily on her toes. Her second mouth gnashed its teeth together hungrily, dancing with vigor. Small bruises still spotted her back, but Mawile seemed not to feel them as she toed around, splashing in puddles.

Brawly observed Mawile's antics with slight hesitation. "She's grown, Fin. The last time I saw your Mawile...I lost. But my Makuhita is a recent addition to my team, giving me the advantage. I know Mawile's capabilities, but Dina, Mawile, you do not know mine. Makuhita, Arm Thrust!"

"Mawhile, do whatever you usually do when someone is Arm Thrusting you!" commanded Dina not-so-expertly.

Mawile looked at me, rolled her eyes, and flounced forward. She met Makuhita's flailing punches with her second mouth, ironed over with steely Iron Defense. As the Fighting Pokémon searched for a weak point, I saw both mouths crack open, recognizing the familiar gesture as a Sweet Scent. I felt satisfaction in my knowledge as Makuhita sniffed the air, his eyes vacanting, his head lifting as if drawn away with strings.

Mawile took the first chance, extending her maw to its widest, clamping down on her entranced opponent, and slamming him into the moist, splintered floor. When she released him, Makuhita did not rise.

"Makuhita is no longer able to battle. The challenger – or rather, Mawile, as Dina didn't do a darned thing – wins," announced Eric unnecessarily.

"I totally did too! I called her out!" retorted Dina. "Good job, Mawile. Of course, some day, Wae'll be just as good as you, so maybe then I'll return you to Fin."

Mawile smiled her prettiest scary smile, but I shot to my feet. "No way, Dina, you're returning Mawile this instant. This instant, you hear?"

"Lalala, I think I hear a Beedrill buzzing. Funny, I thought they weren't native to Hoenn."

"Darlah Beatricia Commons," I threatened, to no avail.

Brawly sighed, rubbing his temples. "I think your waves have washed away and left you stranded, my friends. Alright then, I've trained Machop for this rematch, Mawile. I present you my strongest typhoon; go forth, Machoke!"

Dina stared at the summoned Pokémon, taking in his kneeling form, the rippling muscles under the smooth, unmarred flesh. "W-wait a minute, Brawly," she said nervously, "what happened to not going all out?"

"I've been waiting far too long, wave-ling, to let this pass." He glanced at me. "Though, you weren't the foe I had in mind, Mawile is Mawile. I suppose I can let Fin's honor rest on your shoulders."

"Woah, wait, what?" I stammered. "What honor? I mean, not that I have no honor, I just meant that there's no way that defeating Dina equates to winning against me. Seriously, Brawly, you were joking, right?"

He didn't answer. I sank to my seat, feeling my heart plummet along with me.

"Don't worry, Bro," stated Dina with false sincerity. "I won't let you down." The gleam in her eye contradicted that, reading something along the lines of, "Ha! Win-win situation for me: if I defeat him, I get a badge. If I lose...Fin loses too!"

"Go, Mawile. Um, Bite him. Or something. You know, improvise if you have to." Dina shifted, pulling off a nonchalant look. I felt my hope dwindle along with her fading seriousness.

Brawly shook his head. "Nuh-uh, ain't working. You don't think that I wouldn't plan for a Mawile's Bite, huh? Bite is the first thing that comes in mind when one hears the name 'Mawile.' Cross Chop, followed by Revenge!"

Mawile leapt, widening her death trap once more. The crooked jaws clamped over the left forearm of Machoke's crossed arms, and Mawile reflexively clenched and unclenched them. Machoke gave a moan of discomfort, staring at her small form with red beady eyes. Then, emitting a strange gray haze, he roared and flung out both limbs. Mawile wailed, skidding to a stop on the floor after being thrown off her prey.

"C'mon, get up, I know you can do this," said Dina, pleading.

Mawile looked at Dina and sniffed, crossing her arms, refusing to budge. Brawly gave a wry grin. "Easy win for me, then. Sorry, Dina, Fin."

At my name, I looked up. Several strings of words ran through my head along with the possible actions that Dina could take. None of them were strategies that Dina could ever think up on the spot.

"This is probably against the rules," I muttered to myself, "but I'll just blame Eric since he chose not to say all of them. That's it, I'll feign ignorance. And forgetfulness."

I searched my short pockets, my hand repeatedly snagging against the damp cloth. In my furious haste, I heard Brawly shout out, "Alright, let's mop this up. Submission."

Where was it? My fingers groped at something small, smooth, and round. Jackpot, I mouthed as I fumbled to withdraw it.

Machoke strode steadily over to the pouting Mawile, grinning sadistically, tasting victory on the tip of his fingertips. That overconfidence I was glad for, as it no doubtedly was Machoke's downfall.

"Catch, Mawile," I cried, tossing the Occa Berry at her.

A bribe made all the difference, I witnessed, as her second mouth perked up, her face brightened, and fight reentered her eyes. Dina looked at my peculiarly.

"You have this in the bag," I said, my gaze not leaving the energized Mawile. "Promise."

"Thanks, Bro. Next time, you won't have to save me. _Promise_," she returned with a grin. "Now, to pull this wave in and tame it, Mawile! Crush him!"

Mawile rose to her feet, mirroring Dina's smile with her own feral smirk. Machoke dived; Mawile ducked away, sending a Sucker Punch at the Machoke's feet. He tripped, and Mawile feinted a Tackle, before disappearing altogether. Brawly saw her before I did, yelling out, "Machoke, behind you!"

Machoke took the exclamation as a chance to free-style, sending an unrequested Karate Chop towards his blind side. His hand clashed together with an Iron Defense as Mawile rammed into his back with Faint Attack.

Now locked in close combat, Mawile grabbed Machoke's hand in a Vice Grip. The gray Pokémon struck back with Low Kick. Mawile's knees buckled as Machoke struck a soft spot, and Mawile's decline in height forced Machoke to a kneel.

"Hit him! Hit him hard!" Dina cheered.

"Seismic Toss," ordered Brawly.

Machoke grappled with Mawile, trying to hold her. Mawile kicked, flailed, and bit, but her opponent was bigger and physically stronger. She was lifted by sturdy, relentless arms.

"He's open! Hit him now!" screamed Dina. I bit my tongue to prevent myself from catching her contagious enthusiasm.

Mawile gave another dainty smile, ill befitting her frightening figure. Her second mouth came loose, rose in the air, and bit down on Machoke's head. A firm Crunch allowed Mawile to use her grip as leverage to pull herself out of the Seismic Toss, flipping over and landing behind Machoke. Before he could turn around, Mawile had Iron Headed him, and he was lying on the ground.

"Drowned and flushed away," Brawly exclaimed, returning his fallen Pokémon. "I failed to realize that as Machoke's strength grew, so did Mawile's."

Dina stood still, with such a goofy grin plastered to her face that I didn't have the heart to tell her that Brawly just didn't want to admit that he hadn't thought her capable of commanding Mawile to her full ability. Revising my thoughts, I remembered that Dina hadn't actually commanded anything.

"I win, I win, I win, I win, I win, I win," she squealed as the past battle finally imprinted on her memory. "I win, I win, I win, I win, I win!"

I couldn't resist a smile, but Brawly caught it.

"You forget, Fin, that since she won, she's dragging you around the region now. Cold nights, no money, going hungry."

Well, he certainly knew how to dampen the mood.

XXX

**-Route 105-**

We set sail immediately after Dina's not-tearful farewell mini-party. Our parents joked about finally being rid of both of us, which Dina took lightheartedly. I moped around for a while before being dragged out to the beach. Brawly slapped me on the back, all grins, and wished me the best. I laughed with him and then discreetly stomped on his foot.

"Brother, isn't this the best? Good old brother-sister quality time, staring out into the clear, clear water..." Dina murmured gently.

"While sitting on a dancing whale," I finished for her, feeling nauseated. Wae shifted a bit to torture me.

"Well, on the bright side, it's beautiful. I can't wait until we get there!"

"Me neither. I need some firm ground on my feet, now," I grunted, trying to find a comfortable position to lie down in.

Dina curled up next to me. "So, where exactly is 'there'?"

I inhaled slowly. Count to ten and back again, I told myself. "Petalburg, provided this Wailmer knows where he's going."

"Of course he does," said Dina sweetly, though her attempts at soothing only served to fan the flames of my fears.

We drifted some more in some unknown direction. I only knew that we were headed away from Dewford, away from home, and away from safety. I closed my eyes and nodded off as Wae bobbed some more towards a place that I hoped was civilized. I imagined a soft, cushy bed and a warm dinner.

I didn't see the boat sailing a little ways away from us. A scrawny girl sat perched on the railing, not the least bit worried about falling. She wore a headband with large feathery wings glued to the top. Her face was delicate and confident, her posture better-than-you.

An old man hobbled out from behind her, a Wingull nested in his shoulder. "Ah, Miss Aisha, the old engine just doesn't want to work with me today. It seems we'll be moving at a much slower pace than anticipated. I apologize for the inconvenience, and even after all you've done for Peeko and me!"

"It is naught to fret over, Mr. Briney," said the girl, peering out into the sea. "Take as long as you fancy. In fact, I believe I have already located the individual I set out to find."

"Oh, really?" chuckled Mr. Briney. "Good for you! We'll be in Petalburg by tomorrow, I promise."

He left her alone on the deck, but Aisha didn't show signs of noticing. She stared out at the drifting Wailmer and the two figures atop it.

"This promises to be fascinating," she murmured, delighted. "That woman who informed me of the Commons...well, this is most probably a trap. I predict that it will be satisfying to play along, at least for a while."

Her mouth twisted into something resembling a smile, her chestnut hair falling over her eyes to give her a ghastly appearance. To herself, she began to hum a tune. The sad melody reached out over the water, falling only on the ears of the rocks isolated in the ocean.

XXX

**-Route 105-**

Tabitha was alone, this time. The mistress had left, off to go carry out some harebrained scheme of hers. Tabitha didn't understand her sometimes, but he felt he didn't need to. He had his orders, and he followed them solely out of respect. A direction to head towards, and motivation to get going. What more could he need?

The submarine he was using was stolen property, of course. A large MAGMA insignia was painted on the side. There would be no one coming to retrieve it, Tabitha knew, since Team Magma had disbanded years ago. As an ex-commander, he had been in the perfect position to locate one of the subs. Now, he put it to good use, tailing the Commons children.

The mistress saw potential in the girl, Dina. There was an elaborate master plot planned out to capture her and use her, and both Tabitha and the mistress knew it would succeed this time.

The previous two attempts to carry out the Apocalypse Project were unsuccessful for two reasons: first, interference from that pompous pink-haired nuisance, and second, Fin Commons' incompetence.

This time, both would be incapacitated. Success was inevitable. Tabitha spat on the floor, narrowing his eyes as he squinted into the binoculars. Yes…

This time, they would bring the end of the world.

**-stretches- I'm hoping to get to the good parts soon. Not that, of course, I have any idea what 'the good parts' entail. Ah, well. The craziness is just beginning, so stay tuned~ ;)**

**To clear it up, Dina's real name is 'Darlah.' She just goes by Dina, so don't go thinking that they messed up her name or anything.**

**Drop a review, and I'll love you forever.**

**Credits**

**Aisha belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow**

**My beta was iflip4dolphins**

**Brawly, Mr. Briney, Tabitha, and Pokémon belong to Nintendo**

**Fin, Dina, the mentioned mistress and the pink-haired nuisance towards the end belong to me**


	3. La Force de Coeur

**So, the next time I even *try* to announce that I'm updating on a Wednesday… Please shoot me. I realized that I have barely any time on Wednesdays (and Thursdays, now) that I actually do anything.**

**Disclaimer: Kyuuketsuki Fang owns certain characters and certain plot points. Fang also owns this story. She does not own other characters and other plot points. For further detail, refer to credits below.**

**Chapter Three: The Strength of Heart**

**-Petalburg City-**

The ground swayed, leaving ripples where solid pathway should've been. Civilians who should have been wobbling instead floated through the twisted motions, unperturbed. Dina looked unaffected, though the concern showed in her face.

"Fin, Fin, are you okay? Do you want to sit down?"

"How?" I croaked, collapsing on to a nearby bench. "What kind of monster are you? Sailing for so long on something so small, and you're up on your feet as soon as the trip is over!"

Dina looked thoughtful. "Well, I did tag along with Brawly whenever he went surfing. Maybe I'm just used to that water?"

I growled, imagining ways to punish the blue-haired Gym Leader as soon as I got my hands on him. "Him," I moaned. "Everything is his fault..."

Brawly's laugh echoed through my mind, and Dina had to forcibly restrain me from bashing my head again the seat.

"Shhh," consoled Dina. "Don't worry, Fin. We'll get you to a mental asylum as soon as we find the right one."

Yes, everything was Brawly's fault.

Petalburg, where we had hopefully landed, was a place of memories, for me anyways. Dina was still ecstatic, high off of the prospect of adventure. I stared up at the familiar buildings. Not much had changed since I'd last set foot here, and I asked myself quietly if I had hoped differently.

The Gym looked nothing like Dewford's own. Whereas Dewford flaunted its ocean and rocky origin, Petalburg kept a cleanly, sophisticated building for battles. The roof was blue, fading into a soft cerulean from the incessant sun. The walls that greeted us were smooth and washed, periwinkle in hue.

It was when Dina tugged on my sleeve that I realized that we had a small problem. "Hey, Dina, you wouldn't happen to have any money on you, would you?"

She tsked. "What kind of older brother are you, asking your little sis for money? What bind have you gotten yourself into?"

"Not me," I said. "It's you; it's your bind. Petalburg has a three-on-three policy, you know, and even with Mawile, you'd only have two Pokémon. Plus, we have no Pokéballs, which means we'd have to buy them. And, well, I don't exactly have my wallet with me now."

Dina blinked. "Wait, what? You were complaining about not having enough to eat, and then you didn't bring any money with you?"

"Well, did you?"

"No, but you're the older brother!"

"What? No way, you're not going to blame this on me. You try being the older brother for once!"

"You wish!" Dina huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

I was about to reply, but I felt a light prickling at the back of my neck. It was a strange sensation, the kind you get when you think someone was looking at you. Staring at you. I didn't want to glance behind me in case I was wrong, so I lowered my voice to a whisper and hissed to Dina, "Hey, is there someone watching us? Behind me."

Dina rolled her eyes. "There are a lot of people staring at us."

"Not staring," I said. "And lower your voice. I mean, _watching_ us."

Her eyes left my face, drifting to a point above my left shoulder. She recoiled suddenly, eyes widening. I felt a finger tap against my back twice. Slowly, I turned around, placing myself at a position where I could shield Dina just in case.

Our stalker was a girl, as well as a little kid. She was a bit taller than Dina's five feet, with a similar wiry build. Brown bangs shadowed over her blue eyes, giving her a sinister appearance.

'Evil' was the first word that came to mind. The second was 'weird.'

She carried herself proudly, despite being at least four years my junior. Her pioneer dress shimmered even as she stood still, the sun reflecting off the sequins and bells that had been sewn on. A black bandana adorned her neck, contrasting the plastic princess tiara that topped her messed up costume. I could already feel Dina's respect and admiration radiating from behind me, and I inwardly yelled at her that, no, I would not permit her to walk around in anything so crazy.

"Are you two," she said, her voice conversational, as if she was not a strange girl asking stranger questions, "the Commons siblings?"

"No," I said a second after Dina's, "Woah, how did you _know_?"

It did not matter that looks couldn't kill; I was ready to murder her with my glare.

"Then," the girl concluded vaguely, "my former hypothesis must have been correct. This makes our situations interesting, I will assume that you have your own dilemma, yes?"

I grunted, still wary.

She laughed, bells tingling. "We shall aid each other. I will lend you my Pokémon if you grant me your alliance. My name is Aisha Keyre, if that is what you ordinary folk call it these days. In all actuality, it is more of a title because it was given to me by my mother. One does not, you see, go out and give these titles to trees. No, trees are dubbed by names such as _Ailanthus altissima_, _Cercis chingii_, and _Eucalyptus cinerea_. Therefore, my name would be _Homo sapiens_. However, as calling me so would be impractical, you may just refer to me as Aisha Keyre."

"Hi, I'm Dina Commons. Nice to meet you, Aisha Keyre! Now let's talk business. Are your Pokémon strong?" Dina exclaimed.

I rubbed my temples. "That's not business, Dina. Business would be like _what exactly does Miss Keyre require from us ordinary folk?_"

"My Pokémon are just as powerful as they need to be," said Aisha not-so-humbly. "You will soon find out how much so, as long as your family companion decides to accept my terms."

"Family companion," ordered Dina, "accept her terms!"

"What happened to me being the older brother?" I complained, still suspicious of Aisha. She did not look extremely harmful, but I couldn't bring myself to trust her. Additionally, her speech had left behind a large headache.

Aisha spoke up again. "If you wish to know the technical side of your argument, you would soon realize that it is illogical. You see, for humans, or _Homo sapiens_, age does not determine maturity. It is not the oldest in the world who discovers how molecules can be manipulated for human usage. That is odd, seeing as one would think that age would accompany wisdom, but it is opposite that. Age only ensures that you lose brain cells, making the greatest factor in maturity—"

"Alright," I moaned. "Alright, I agree, just make her shut up..."

"What do you want us to do?" chirped Dina, grinning at the thought of being smarter than me.

"Nothing at all drastic," said Aisha. "Do not worry. I just desire to journey with you for a time. I am, after all, just a small, defenseless eleven year old girl."

"As if," I almost blurted out, but then, seemingly reading my mind, Aisha turned towards me and gave her most beautiful smile. Or what she thought was a nice smile, anyways, and it worked, because I shut up out of fear.

Dina grinned back, oblivious to my discomfort, of course. "So, what Pokémon are you letting me borrow?"

"That's not going to help you gain experience as a trainer, Dina. Ow!" I cursed as her elbow made its nest in my stomach. "Darn it, what was-ow!"

The two girls, like long lost sisters, walked off towards the Gym, ignoring me, the real sibling. I seethed, contemplating ditching them. In the end, because Dina showed no signs of even caring if I would follow, I entered the Gym after them.

"Ah, Fin!" cried out a voice, unrecognizable and yet familiar. "Are you here too?"

A boy carrying a broom rushed down the hallway to greet me. With short brown hair and bland eyes, I found that he looked identical, in my memory, to several trainers I had encountered in my journeys. As such, I plastered a friendly smile to my face and played along.

"Oh, uh, hi! Who'd've thought we'd meet here, of all places?" I grinned falteringly.

He gave me a strange look. "Fin, it's me. Kenny. I'm the Gym assistant. Where else would we meet?"

There was a lull in the conversation as I tried to muster up a convincing laugh. "Yeah, I remember, all right. I was only joking, Kenny."

"Of course," grinned Kenny, oblivious. "Well, your," he paused, "_girls_ are further in, with the Leader."

Ack. "My sister, Kenny! My sister! And her wacko witch friend!"

"Uh-huh."

Dina and Aisha had apparently already discussed their Pokémon lending thing, as the latter reclined comfortably on wooden bleachers. Dina faced a blue-haired man whom I identified as the Gym Leader. Kenny ditched me for his position as referee, which I was immensely grateful for. The Leader looked at me as I walked over to Aisha, and I raised a hand in respectful greeting.

"It's been a while, Norman."

Norman blinked. "Yeah... Sorry, but have we met before?"

The irony made me grimace. I sighed. "Never mind."

"The average _Homo sapiens_ mind," began Aisha, "functions in the most peculiar—"

I tuned her out in favor for the battle. A Shuppet and a Linoone had been unleashed on the battlefield, and through power of logic – because Norman used only Normal types in his line of work – I deducted that the Shuppet was Aisha's.

"Um, what's her name?" muttered Dina. "Oh, Frolic! Time to...what was it again?"

"Rule the world," replied Aisha, breaking the record for the shortest sentence she had said that day.

"Right, right." Dina turned to face the levitating Pokémon, watching her bob up and down to the rhythm of her own mind before calling out, "Frolic, that Linoone wishes to stop you from ruling the world!"

There was a silence as the world stared at Dina for that ridiculous announcement, all except for smug Aisha and Linoone, who only looked curious at how Frolic would react. There wasn't a movement, and even Kenny was at a loss for words.

"Sheeeeeeeeet! Shuuuuh! Pet!" declared the Ghost Pokémon in an earsplitting screech. I would have, I decided, rather heard a nail scratched against a glass window. "Shuuuuppet!"

Getting into character as Frolic's 'trainer,' Dina announced as well, "You who have sinned! Face the wrath of the undead. Go, Frolic, use Faint Attack!"

The Linoone line learned no offensive non-Normal type moves without the assistance of a professional Move Tutor. Of course, Norman was a Gym Leader, so I expected some unusual techniques. He did no such thing, only watched as Frolic vanished and materialized behind Linoone.

Linoone did not move, as if, through silence, Norman had instructed her not to. Her eyes widened as Shuppet's head spike solidified in preparation, and her stomach was savagely headbutted by Faint Attack.

"Great, Linoone," smirked Norman. I didn't see why he was confident, as Linoone was being beaten. His Pokémon, in a true burst of trainer-Pokémon connection, smiled as well. They were not telepathic, they did not communicate in some secret language; the Petalburg Gym Leader and his Pokémon were simply connected in heart and mind.

And even though he did not a thing, I felt the tides shift towards Norman's end.

"He's bluffing, Frolic. Show 'em how much better you are with...that other Dark type move, the punching one," instructed Dina, also grinning widely. Shuppet complied, swaying, and then releasing a suspicious black shadow that began slowly, edging out in front of her. Linoone shifted, crouching down, and the Shadow Sneak bulleted out.

"Don't," Norman called out, aloof, "move."

The black line darted towards Linoone, who sat unintimidated, blue eyes unwavering. There was no approaching target that Shadow Sneak could destroy, and the stagnant stillness in the stadium dispersed the attack.

Annoyance shone through Dina's features. She snarled the name of the attack she was certain would work, the command that had not failed before. "Faint Attack."

But that was what Norman, and his genius, was waiting for.

And the Linoone...

...did not move.

Shuppet jeered, positive that her opponent was no sure threat to her tyranny, disappeared once more.

Beside me, Aisha shook her head, murmuring to herself. She too had seen the flaw in Dina's technique. My respect for her in general rose, as did my suspicions. On average, an eleven year old was not that sharp.

Frolic twirled this time, daring Linoone to retaliate. Her head appeared, followed by the dress of her body, and it was in that second that Linoone accepted the dare.

In arrogance, in ignorance, Dina had left Frolic vulnerable.

Minds on the same wavelength, Linoone lashed out before Norman had uttered a sound. Shuppet collided against the ground under Linoone's claws just as I heard the order, "Slash attack!"

"Impossible," cried Dina, obviously reviewing what she had learned as a child. Normal type moves do not affect Ghosts. Simple. Unquestionable. Truth. But as a child and as a rookie trainer, she had never thought to question why.

"Never take for granted," spoke Aisha truly. I nodded grimly.

Norman was kind and understanding on a level that I could never achieve. "For Faint Attack to pull through," he explained, "Shuppet had to phase – solidify - to cause any damage to Linoone. Otherwise, she would make no contact; she's a Ghost. This happens right before she is about to attack, so if one were to time a counter at that exact moment, a Normal attack could hit the materialized Ghost." He laughed. "In other words, you can't use Faint Attack without putting yourself at risk. Shadow Sneak doesn't work. This advantage has been turned against you. What'll you do now, Miss Dina of Dewford?"

Dina was about to scream something at random, I could tell, but Aisha interrupted.

"Is it possible for a," she asked loudly. She paused, searching for a Pokémon that Dina was familiar with, "for a Mawile to learn the move Bite?"

"Um, yes," I replied slowly, racking my brain for a smarter answer. Trick question? "Duh."

"Even though," Aisha continued over me meaningfully, "Mawile is clearly a Steel type, and Bite is dark attributed?"

"Yeah, that's what the big jaws are for." I was still left dumbly in the dark.

"Then, it is possible for a Makuhita to learn Tackle?"

"Yes, but that's hardly an accomplishme—"

"Even though Makuhita is Fighting oriented, and Tackle is defined as a Normal technique?"

Steady and earnest dedication on her part, avid bewilderment on mine. I decided that the less I spoke, the more I reduced the risk of looking like a fool. "Um, yeah."

"And Shuppet has just shown efficiency in Dark moves, even though she is a Ghost type."

"Yes?"

I was thoroughly ashamed to see Dina catch on before me. "Oh!" she exclaimed, brightening as if she had thought of the idea on her own. "Does Frolic, by chance, know any other non-Ghost moves?"

"Why!" shouted Aisha with exaggerated astonishment. "I believe that she does indeed. She knows Will-o-wisp, a move generally associated with the Fire type. What a coincidence, is it not, Fin Commons? We were just speaking of that oddity."

Satisfied by her role, Aisha settled in her seat. By the unshaken glint in Norman's eyes, I judged that he had been aware of Frolic's 'unusual' skill.

"Will-o-wisp, Frolic," Dina directed.

"Fight fire with fire," said Norman in return. "But that would only succeed in creating a larger inferno, and I'm no firefighter. Linoone, what is fire used for? Mud Sport!"

What was fire used for?

I blinked. Aisha began to list the answers, like a game.

"It is used to cook." But I was pretty sure that Norman did not intend on cooking.

"It is used to light." There were lights overhead as well.

"It is used to burn." Counterproductive, if Norman intended to win.

"It is used to warm." I ran out of snappish replies in my head, and instead settled for shaking my head pathetically.

"And..." The climax. Aisha had known all along.

"...fire can be used to dry."

Mud splashed up along Linoone's pelt, her white fur darkening into dirt brown. It sloshed across her back, down her legs, over her sides, and Linoone charged head on into Will-o-wisp. The blue flames danced their way, descending on the weasel from Frolic's elevation. Their heat reached Linoone quicker than the fire did, but it did nothing to halt her. She leapt into the attack, the firestorm enveloping her, and she continued charging.

"Alright, finale time. Send the ghost right where she came from – use Rollout!"

Use what? My mind drew a blank.

"As the Cacturne cloaks itself in spines, so does the Linoone don her armor," clarified Aisha.

The Mud Sport had absorbed the heat, drying onto Linoone's coat. Solid earth adorned her body, hardened into armor. Linoone flipped into the air, spiraling, twirling, and then rolling. She kicked off, catching Frolic off guard with the odd Rock typed move.

"Even though," Aisha voiced my thoughts, "Linoone is a Normal type."

"You're a bad influence," I muttered darkly, trying to erase her from my mind.

"Shuppet is unable to continue," cried Kenny, waving Norman's flag. "Gym Leader Norman wins this round!"

"Alright, I can take that," said Dina, fingering her second Pokéball. She withdrew Frolic with a quick 'thanks for your help.' "Wae, we're switching in. Time to show them the real power of the Dewford prodigy."

"Self-proclaimed prodigy," I added. "We're not all like her."

Wailmer bounced on the floor, his enthusiasm wilting. "Waaaaaaaail?" he questioned Dina, gesturing with his whole body towards the ground.

"Where's the water?" Dina was taken back. "Um," she said dubiously, "maybe the next Gym will be watery. You can move by rolling around, right?"

Wailer bounced. Dina smiled. "Okay, just win this one for us! Linoone's already weakened, sort of. Douse her off with Water Pulse."

Though the damage was significantly lessened, the cannon of water washed away most of mud. Linoone offered no resistance, yawning whenever she could. Dripping with brown sludge, I could see that her speed would be reduced by the extra weight. Norman, still, was unperturbed.

"There's no disadvantage now," he observed. "So if we go all offense, there's no real danger. Belly Drum, Linoone."

Linoone shifted. Her claws sharpened to the point where the tips were too thin to see from my distance, her fur suddenly seeming glossy and sleek. The careless nature in her eyes was replaced by rabid anticipation and calculation. Wae tensed as well, watching Linoone flex the enhanced muscles in her forelegs.

"Rollout!" Dina yelled. "Rollout, Rollout, Rollout!"

"Fury Swipes."

Wailmer flattened his fins and dove into the ground. Blubber met tiles and bounced away, allowing Wailmer to ascend into the air. Pouncing, Linoone met him halfway, jumped over him, and slashed an X against Wae's back. The Wailmer hummed angrily in return, hitting the ground and ricocheting to hit Linoone back.

I kept my eyes on Norman, searching for any hint of a strategy. The Gym Leader seemed to have caught on to Dina's amateurish techniques; Linoone's attacks were purely offensive. Brute strength against whatever Dina could come up with. Furthermore, Linoone was purposefully leaving openings that Dina kept overlooking.

"Water Pulse! Come on, Wae, you can do it," Dina called, desperation painting her words.

"Slash," said Norman easily. I wrenched my eyes away from the battle, unable to bring myself to watch anymore. Beside me, Aisha was practically high off of glee. I heard water splash and the Wailmer shriek.

Coupled with his pain was Dina's cry of horror, and I looked up just in time to see Wae skid to a stop…after rolling across half the battlefield. His flippers quivered violently as he strained to right himself. Then, nothing.

Kenny announced Linoone's victory and prompted Dina for a third Pokémon, but my sister only clenched her fingers around her last Poké Ball. Last chance? Sounded familiar. But no marine hero could save her now.

Dina was biting her lip, trembling on her feet, sending my heart plummeting to nest painfully in my stomach. I had never seen her make this face before. Some brother I was. No, the brotherly feelings lay dormant somewhere hidden. The stirring emotions…

"We can stop here, if you'd like," Norman suggested. He had pity on his face.

Dina, quitting? No way. Not a chance.

But my little sister didn't reply, didn't deny, didn't…anything. Dina stood there, uncertain, as if she was almost considering it.

And that hit me like a punch in the gut. She wouldn't say yes. That would go against all she'd ever taught herself, all she'd ever aspired to be.

She—"No."

What?

…had I said that?

I stood up abruptly, my full attention on Dina.

She had never seen me before. Fin had been a completely different persona. Fin who had cared for her, Fin who had always listened when parents just couldn't understand. The Fin who loved her. Fin the brother.

But me, I was the Fin in that missing five years. That small period where Dina didn't know me. Fin the trainer. And I stared harshly at her, intimidating in a way a brother simply could not be.

"Go on. Finish what you started." Why was my voice so bitter? No, I wasn't contemptuous at Dina. It didn't even feel like I was addressing her. In fact, deep down, I knew I was talking to someone else.

Only, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out whom.

Aisha leaned back and watched me tighten my fists, pleased to the extent that I thought she might have guessed my thoughts. Norman sent me a quizzical look. Dina looked only stricken. She was unaware of my internal conflict.

"F-Fin?" Her voice cracked.

"If you give up now, you'll never forgive yourself. And you'll be proving to the world that you'll never become the person you want to become."

Norman looked as if he wanted to reprimand me, but Dina gave a shaky affirmative. Red light erupted from the third Poké Ball as Mawile appeared. Norman's face fell slack at the sight of her, and I had the sneaking notion that he recognized her. I had to admit that it hurt a little that he could identify my first Pokémon instead of me, until he met my stare with what may or may not have been recognition.

"Linoone, Headbutt," he ordered.

"Bite," intoned Dina, still dazed from my commands. The start of a new round knocked me out of my apathetic state, and I sat down as quickly as possible. I caught Aisha giving me a haughty smile, and I flushed. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been this flustered. What had come over me?

Linoone charged, but her former vigor had faded. She appeared to know that she stood no chance against the newly released Mawile. Effortlessly, Mawile wrapped her jaws around Linoone's midsection and tossed her in the air. Then, launching herself after her opponent, Mawile rammed into the Rush Pokémon with a solid Iron Head. They both landed, one gracefully, the other crumpled.

"Linoone is unable to battle! Dina and Mawile win this round! Gym Leader Norman has two Pokémon left."

It was a quick and not exactly spectacular victory, but Dina looked ecstatic. She kept glancing over at me with tears in her eyes, and it was hard to look at her. Darn her and her ridiculous ability to guilt me into anything. I wasn't exactly sure why I felt so badly, except that I had yelled at her. Why did she have that adoring Growlithe face on?

Norman also smiled at me, confusing me further. I pointedly made sure to ignore any and all expressions from Aisha.

"Alright, then," the Gym Leader announces after congratulating the fallen Linoone. "I think I'll go with Slakoth!"

I gaped shamelessly as the sloth materialized. When I had battled Norman, way back then, he'd unleashed a crazy gorilla monster! I bet it was because Dina was a cute kid…

"Use Scratch," Norman said, confirming that, yes, he was entirely serious about this match up.

Dina responded with rejuvenated enthusiasm, completely missing the absurdity of the wimpy…thing. "Alright, use Bite!"

I made a mental note to teach her more of Mawile's attacks. Really, this was just embarrassing.

Slakoth ambled, slowly, over to Mawile to, slowly, raise a paw and, slowly, bring it down to scratch, slowly, along Mawile's second mouth. Mawile waited patiently until Slakoth was done failing to attack her. Then she lifted Slakoth's hand in an exaggeratedly leisurely manner, while the sloth practically dozed off while standing, and lifted him off his feet.

She whipped her mouth around and tossed him over to Norman's side of the field.

Slakoth didn't stir, though he let out a rather disgruntled snore.

"Come on, finish it," cheered Dina. How she managed to change moods so quickly was beyond my understanding. Probably a female thing.

Mawile skipped over to the sloth – "Oh dear, please don't tell me that's my Pokémon that's skipping. Wait, of course it is. Life needs to stop screwing me over…" – and procured a tight Vicegrip around the Slakoth's waist.

She flipped him into the air, much like she'd done with Linoone, and—

Slakoth opened an eye and Yawned tiredly.

-slammed him into the ground with surprising force. I knew that must have hurt because I'd inevitably been subjected to the terror of Mawile's second mouth during my journey.

True to my suspicions, Slakoth fainted. I did not hear Kenny's announcement because Aisha erupted into high-pitched laughter, the kind that suggested that she was not all there. Perhaps she was laughing at Slakoth's downfall, but I thought that perhaps she was laughing at what Dina hadn't seen.

Mawile's eyelids dropped a fraction of a notch.

And I knew that it was already over.

Norman's last was a ferocious Slaking. He made no move to give any orders, and his Pokémon reclined on his side and gave a toothy grin.

"Begin!"

"Bite, Mawile!" Dina said.

Mawile hurled herself across the field in a last ditch attempt to win, to maim, inflict damage, _anything_. Her mouth was wide open, extended, but her feet lost momentum with every blink. She collapsed an inch away from Slaking, serenely asleep.

Slaking wrapped a hand loosely around her. I squeezed my eyes shut. Aisha let out a giggle.

"Hammer Arm." The command was soft, so gentle, that I barely picked up Norman's voice. Slaking ended the battle. Dina returned Mawile with a soft zap and click of the Poké Ball. Kenny announced something. Norman and Dina exchanged quiet words. Aisha laughed.

I retreated deeper and deeper into the dangerous unknown inside of me, registering nothing of my surroundings as I suddenly couldn't take it anymore. I left the Gym, no destination in mind except for away and away and away.

…

So I was sitting there against the side of the Poké Mart pitying myself, but mostly feeling sorry for Dina who had lost her first battle. Granted, it was only her second, but I could only imagine the absolute depression that must have been racking her body.

It came as a complete surprise when she bounced up to me, flailing urgently, and the first words out of her mouth were, "Fin, I'm so sorry!"

"Huh?" I said eloquently.

"I know you're mad because I lost but I promise I'll win next time and please don't be disappointed because I'll do better at the next gym!" said Dina. She stopped when she remembered that if she didn't get oxygen, there wouldn't be a next time.

"I… I'm not…mad," I said, stumbling over words as my mind hurried to comprehend the last few seconds.

"You're not?" Dina chirped, suddenly happy again.

Perhaps I was missing something. "No… Why would I be?"

"She believes that you are dissatisfied with her because she failed to secure a victory," Aisha said as bluntly as her bizarre vocabulary allowed her to. I hadn't even noticed her there in my astonishment. "You did depart in such a brusque manner."

"What? No! I thought you'd want time to yourself because you'd lost." A flat out lie, but I didn't want to admit anything resembling shame. "Aren't you sad in the slightest that you lost?"

Dina shrugged. "No, not really." She stepped over to my side and sat next to me. "Back when Wae fainted, I was mostly terrified that I just wasn't meant to be a trainer. But then, Fin, you stepped in and you were so cool! You were like, 'stop thinking and just do it like you wanted to,' so I did, and Mawile was amazing. She's not even mine and she fought so hard and I want to be a trainer so badly and, Fin, thank you so much! I love you!"

I blinked twice as she hugged me (read: attempted to suffocate me with her iron grip). I hadn't been expecting that confession. Awkwardly, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, praying that I'd done something right in her upbringing as a trainer.

As we shared that brief sibling moment, Aisha stepped back and pretended to admire an odd stain on the Mart window. In those couple of minutes, the world consisted solely of me and my sister, the wind and Aisha's tacky sewn on bells in the background.

Then, someone roughly shoved open the Mart door and stomped off, effectively ruining the mood. Dina's speech finally dawned on me, and I lightly pushed her away so that I could glare into her blue eyes.

"Wait a minute, Dina! I never implied anything like 'don't think before you act!' Thinking is vital! Don't even try to suggest that I said that!"

Her laugh made it all worth it.

**Such a long battle… It got a bit boring towards the end, so I'm sorry if it seems rushed. Also, this is the second time I typed out this chapter (I accidentally deleted it the first time…) so it's probably terrible quality (compared to others).**

**I'm aware that Linoone can learn Pin Missile as a Zigzagoon, but unless they store the needles somewhere under their fur (or, you know, use the fur itself), that's a bit unreasonable. Also, what happened in Linoone vs. Shuppet is entirely my speculation. There probably is no way for a Normal type to hit a Ghost, short of Foresight/Oder Sleuth. Speaking of Oder Sleuth, Linoone can learn it, but where's the fun in that? Norman's cooler than that.**

**Next chapter, I'll take a break from tedious gym battles. Mystery bad guy decides to pop in and antagonize Fin, so stay tuned, and hopefully I won't take half a year again~**

**See you all soon, hopefully.**

**Credits**

**Aisha Keyre belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow**

**Norman, Kenny, and Pokémon in general belong to Nintendo**

**Fin and Dina belong to me**


	4. La Rouge de Tromperie

**Disclaimer: Fang does not own Pokémon.**

**Chapter Four: The Red of Deception**

**-Route 104-**

"I am troubled to confess that I have some imperative business I must attend to. I have confidence that you will not amble off without me?" Aisha had said, flouncing off and leaving me alone with my way-too-happy-to-be-healthy younger sister.

Right after she'd left us a generous amount of cash, of course. That had been the first thing I'd brought up after my bonding fest with Dina. I wanted to ask how a runt like her had come to possess such money, but the possible answers supplied by my imagination scared me. Dina had no qualms, securing the money and dashing off to buy Poké Balls. By the time I had reached that particular section in the Mart, she'd already bought six pristine red and white orbs, and had scrambled off to who-knows-where.

I silently cursed whoever had decided to make Petalburg so large.

Looking for Dina, I had wandered back towards Route 104 towards the looming mass of trees that I knew to be the Petalburg Woods. I heard the high-pitched voices of ten year olds ahead of me, screaming about grass and Pokémon and _oh Arceus, what's that moving thing on your back?_

I shrugged it off and kept walking. There was an abundance of Pokémon found in the woods, so perhaps Dina had thought to go there.

Along the way, I passed a seaside shack with an old man and a Wingull relaxing on the pier beside it. They each raised a hand and a wing, respectively, and I nodded in acknowledgment.

"Have you seen a young girl head up here?" I called. "She has blonde hair, kind of like mine, but lighter. It's tied up to the side in a pink ribbon, and she's short."

The man leaned his head back in thought and said, "How long ago was this?"

Honestly, I had no clue.

"I just got back from a fishing trip, so I might've not even noticed her while I was tying up the ol' boat," the man explained, gesturing fondly at his worn vessel.

"Oh. Well, thanks anyway," I said. "Have a good one."

"You too."

I headed up to Petalburg Woods just in case. After a few steps, a pinch of foreboding sprouted in my stomach. I ignored it. I mean, it couldn't hurt to check, and it wasn't like I was venturing all the way to Rustboro or anywhere even close to that. Just a quick glance for my sister, and then I'd turn back.

Later, I would look back and wonder why the heck I hadn't listened to my gut. I should have just stuck with searching Petalburg.

The thick grass crunched under my feet as I stepped past the sign announcing PETALBURG WOODS. There wasn't a trainer or wild Pokémon around that I could perceive.

That I could perceive.

And then, just when I was about to leave, I found myself held in place by the slim arm of a woman.

"Oh, hello, Fin, _dear_," purred a light and too, too familiar voice.

…

**-Route 102-**

The Wurmple backed up against a tree, flailing all of its tiny feet wildly, not that anyone noticed. Wae inched forward, scaring the bug even more. The Wurmple fainted without being attacked.

Dina took the opportunity to run over, squatting next to the fallen Pokémon. She sighed. It had been a while since she'd set out to conquer Route 102, and she had to say, she'd been sorely disappointed by the lack of viable companions.

It was a beautiful place, really. With many trees and meadows of soft grass, Dina welcomed the sight of the green that was mostly absent in Dewford's sandy landscape. There were also scattered trainers, most of them beginners like her. In general, trainers didn't tend to linger in Dina's isolated hometown, so seeing real live trainers in person was overwhelming. She almost forgot that she was also a real trainer, but then, she tended to use other people's Pokémon anyways.

"Leave it," Dina said to Wae. The Wailmer bounced a little for encouragement before barreling off to find another victim to scare with his massive blubber.

She walked westward, past a kid who was murmuring to his brown raccoon thing about losing all of the time. She'd seen the same fuzzy Pokémon multiple times within the past ten minutes and automatically assumed that his losses could be attributed to the Pokémon's less than powerful stature.

Dina stumbled across some sort of black wolf, almost tripping over it. The Poochyena ignored her in favor of the tasty blue berries it had found hanging from a low-branched tree. Pearly canines extended from its black muzzle, but the sight was rendered cute when coupled with the blissful curve of the Pokémon's mouth. Dina teetered over calling Wae over but decided not to. It would be cruel to interrupt the Poochyena's meal; additionally, it was adorable, and she was a prepubescent girl.

Carefully tiptoeing so that she wouldn't disturb the Dark type, Dina walked until she reached a cliff. It was the kind of drop that her parents never allowed her to explore, so naturally, she scrambled over it excitedly. Then she realized she was a little bit too short to climb back over. Dina jumped up and down, making quite a sight of herself, and waved Wailmer over.

Grinning wildly, Wae bounded off of the overhang and steamrolled ahead. Dina turned around and caught sight of what her Pokémon had seen: a pristine pond, the rays of the sun reflecting harshly off the surface. To Dina, who had grown up in crashing waves, the gentle ripples across the water were lovely.

"Why not?" Dina murmured. "Maybe they'll be new kinds of Pokémon near the water." She made her way over to the pond, stopping only to swerve around the rookie trainer that Wae had plowed into.

Wae made content noises as he happily soaked in the aquatic environment. Dina giggled as she listened to his sighs, dipping a finger into the water. She was about to say something when a foreign sound invaded her ears.

"Ral?"

Dina's face broke into a grin. That was a voice she hadn't heard all day. Or in real life, for that matter. She'd only really seen a Ralts on that Poké Breeding channel on television. As she turned around to face the small green and white figure, she gestured for Wae to stop splashing.

"Hi there," she said in a high pitched voice, much like the tone someone would adopt to speak to a baby. "How're you doing?"

The Ralts tilted her head and clasped her hands together. "Ralts," she said.

"Do you want to come over to the water?" Dina asked. It was an amateur thing to do, thinking she could win Pokémon over to her team without a battle. "Come here?"

Ralts took one apprehensive step closer, staring at Dina with hidden eyes.

"It's okay," Dina crooned.

"Wail," added Wailmer.

Without warning, the Ralts disappeared and materialized beside Dina. The girl jumped back in surprise, almost losing her balance and falling into the pond. When she'd caught her breath again, Dina looked over at the angelic Ralts. "You…you're a mischievous one, aren't you?" she grumbled. "Fooling people with your _I'm a little child feed me_ act."

"Ralts," said the Ralts.

Dina stomped her foot, giving up her nice front complete. "I can't take this assault to my pride!" she cried. "Wae, Water Pulse!"

Her enthusiasm was comical. Wae squirted a jet of water into the Ralts' face, but the smaller Pokémon didn't flinch. Dripping, she cocked her head again and bounced a little.

Dina crossed her arms and frowned. Wae was probably going easy on the Ralts because of pity; it would be terrible to viciously attack something as adorably cute as the Psychic Pokémon. It would be even worse to run Ralts over with Rollout. There wasn't much she could do, darn it.

For lack of any obvious choices, Dina pulled out one of her Poké Balls and threw it at Ralts. The capsule expanded, sucked in the small Pokémon, and settled on the ground. There wasn't even a second between its closing and its reopening. The Poké Ball bounced back into Dina's hands and Ralts materialized looking unfazed.

Now it was getting personal.

Dina huffed and tramped around for a while. When it became apparent that throwing a tantrum wasn't doing anything – if Ralts wasn't looking stoic, she would have appeared amused – she began to mutter to Wailmer. "Wae, I don't care anymore how we defeat this, this _thing_. It hurt my feelings, and I don't like it. So do whatever to win. We're catching this Ralts if it takes all week, okay?"

Wae rolled around in the water. Dina was being just a tad unreasonable, wanting to attack the Ralts from nowhere. It wasn't like the cute Pokémon had retaliated yet or anything. Humans and pride; go figure.

Still, Dina was the boss. Wae rummaged through his arsenal of attacks-that-Dina-didn't-know and chose the weakest one. He let out a strangled cry that scared Dina as much as it startled the Ralts. He swam up to the edge of the pond and pushed the Ralts over, feeling a bit like a bully.

The Ralts stared up at Wailmer and let out a mewling sound. It took Wae and Dina a moment to realize that it was a Growl, an attack and not a whimper.

"Aw," cooed Dina, immediately forgetting her frustration. "It's so cute! I want it, Wae!"

She wouldn't back down until the Ralts was safely in a Poké Ball; that was for sure. Wae stopped holding back – maybe the Ralts would make an entertaining teammate – and allowed a Whirlpool to rise from the water. The Ralts offered no resistance, probably resigned to her fate. Torrents whipped around her and tossed her to the ground, where she landed in a heap and did not rise again.

"All right," yelled Dina, throwing the Poké Ball from her failed attempt at Ralts. This time, the Ralts was unconscious though, and the capsule locked without a fuss. "Victory for us!"

…

**-Petalburg Woods-**

"Oh, hello, Fin, dear."

I plastered on the fakest smile I could muster, taking a deep breath to further fluster the Beautifly dancing in my gut. The skin at the nape of my neck prickled and stood up on end. I turned around and tried my hardest to appear _ecstatic_ to see my old comrade, a girl I'd hoped to never think about again, much less meet.

"Vic! Fancy running into you here. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me or something because we parted on bad terms last time. But we're over that, right? Everything's fine and dandy, right?" Yeah, I wasn't even fooling myself.

Then again, Vic was always strange and false. I could never tell what she was thinking. As the sweetest smile spread across her cherubic features, she might as well have been plotting to stampede me with Loudred.

"Of course, Fin, darling." I really despised the way she always tacked on derogatory pet names after 'Fin.' "I could never see you in anything but the fondest light. After everything we've been through together, surely you wouldn't hold any grudges against me?" No, of course not. It's not your fault that you're a psychotic maniac.

I could tell that my smile was becoming pained.

On my first journey, I had met a bunch of losers, idiots, fanatics, and plain crazy people. The world was a pretty messed up place. I'd made many mistakes and done a whole lot of things that I would regret to the grave. My biggest would have to be meeting Vic. Out of all the people I hated, Vic stood out in my mind the brightest.

Looking at her, no one could tell what dark schemes lurked behind her dark blue eyes. She wore her dark red hair loose; it flowed freely to her elbows, ending in a mass of curls. Her skin was pale and unblemished, and her always present smile masked the demon hiding behind her fairytale beauty.

"Did you need something fr…" I faltered. "From me?"

"Dearest Fin, do I need a reason to approach a friend? Can't I approach you because I want to chat?" She was still smiling, acting her dainty princess façade. I was pretty sure, by this point, that if she asked me to swim across the ocean to, I dunno, Johto, I would do it. Anything to get her and her freaky smile away from me.

"Sure, we can chat," I said. Which was stupid, because 'chatting' never meant chatting to Vic.

She took a step closer and I scooted back. Vic must have been disappointed because she sighed woefully. Oh, I'm so sorry for not allowing myself to be victimized by your passive terrorist tendencies. It brought me comfort to know that I could insult her in my head without invoking her wrath.

"Well, I was worrying about you. You know how you are, always striving to be the best but never achieving it. I thought that perhaps you might get into trouble without help."

If Dina had said that, or even Aisha, if you wanted a more objective example, I would have brushed it off or maybe tossed back a witty retort. As neither was present and the slur was voiced by the world's-biggest-evil, I gritted my teeth and told myself to think of Dewford's warm, lovely beaches.

Oh, screw you, Vic.

"How…thoughtful," I managed to say.

"And so," Vic continued, sticking her hand behind her back. I reflexively flinched. "I want to help you! Remember Camerupt?" She pulled a glassy Poké Ball into view. I stared, knowing all too well about the monstrosity held captive by the device. Camerupt was one of Vic's specially trained Pokémon, a brutal powerhouse with about as much remorse as Psycho Lady. I was no stranger; I had used Camerupt during my time in Vic's…company.

"I don't need it," I said. Camerupt was actually male, but I was ashamed to admit I had gotten used to referring to it as a thing. "You can keep it."

Vic's smile grew wider. "Fin," she said in one of the rare moments she left out the 'dear' prefix. "Take it."

I swallowed and took the Poké Ball. "Th-thanks. I guess." After we had stared at each other for a good minute, I realized she wasn't leaving. Did she want something else? What else could I give her excep—no. No. _No_.

"You've got a cute sister," Vic commented offhandedly. I suffocated the hiss that was rising in my throat.

Backing away cautiously, I growled, "Stay away from her." When my old companion didn't answer, my voice turned desperate and shrill. "Please, Vic. She… Dina has nothing to do with this. She's just a kid."

A swarm of Dustox – I was not aware they resided in Petalburg Woods – rose from the trees and took to the air, blanketing the sky in rapid wing beats. The shadows of their bodies danced over Vic's face, casting a sinister radiance on everything in sight. An amused gleam painted the curve of Vic's lips. I shivered.

"Dina would be a valuable subject of the Project," said Vic finally. Every muscle in my body tensed at the mention of Vic's little obsession. She'd put her all into that experiment of hers; she'd wanted to change something in her past. The Apocalypse Project. The name spited me even after I'd destroyed my part in her game.

"I'll do it," I choked out. I hated the Apocalypse Project. It was a nightmare I never wanted to face again, but even the thought of Dina becoming involved in it… No. I was the older brother. I was the knight in shining armor, Prince Charming, the hero – I would have to don all the labels that she'd placed on me in her childish naïveté. "Just leave Dina alone."

Of course, this was what Vic had planned for all along. I could tell by the nasty gleam in her eye, visible only to me. "Oh, I'm not sure," she said. "Dina has so much more potential, don't you agree, my beloved Fin? With the proper training, I'm sure she could win the Ever Grande Conference where you failed."

I knew she was just picking at an old wound, but it hurt. I would never admit it out loud, but Vic was one of the first trainers I'd truly admired. That was one of the few reasons I even joined her twisted Project. It was a shock to discover her true nature… It was a shock that we would ever be standing here in Petalburg Woods, insulting each other subtly.

"The Ever Grande Conference is irrelevant to the Apocalypse Project," I said weakly.

Vic laughed, long and hard. "Welcome back, my lovely Fin."

Oh, Dina.

…

**-Petalburg Pokémon Center-**

A middle-aged man watched from a corner as Dina pranced up to the counter, still celebrating her recent capture. Nurse Joy was deep in conversation with a blonde boy about Fin's age. The Swampert – Dina suppressed a squeal. It was an honest to goodness _Swampert_, one of the rare starters of Hoenn! – beside them did not appear injured, but the discussion sounded dark and serious.

"Swam. Swamp," said the Swampert, tugging the button of the boy's shirt. The boy looked down and then over towards Dina. He looked annoyed despite the fact that she'd never seen him before, and she tentatively waved.

"Anyways, if anything happens, just send for me. I'll be heading off to Slateport tomorrow," the boy snapped, recalling Swampert and heading for the door.

"Alright, Marceau. Be careful," called Nurse Joy before she turned to Dina. "Can I help you?"

Dina bounced on her heels. "Yup! I just caught a Ralts, so can you make sure it's not hurt?"

Nurse Joy took Ralts' Poké Ball and handed it to a nearby Chansey, murmuring a few directions. The Chansey departed and Nurse Joy was accosted by other trainers. Dina stepped towards the lounge to wait, but as she scanned the room, a man flagged her over.

"Don't talk to strangers," Fin's voice warned in her head. "Don't approach them and don't let them approach you."

"I'm a Pokémon trainer now!" replied her messed up conscience.

Dina walked over to the man. He was smiling. With dark hair streaked with gray and soft wrinkles around his face, he kind of looked like the uncle type. Not dangerous in the least. Fin didn't know what he was talking about.

"I couldn't help but overhear you talking to the good nurse. You say you caught a Ralts?" said the man.

Dina beamed. Here she was talking to someone who finally recognized her talent as a trainer. "Yup! It was in Route 102, near the water. It was easy."

"Wow!" exclaimed the man, clapping his hands. "And you're so young. Ralts are extremely rare to find. You're very lucky."

"It didn't stand a chance," she boasted.

The man's eyes twinkled. "Well, I've got a deal for a darned good Pokémon collector like yourself. I've recently acquired a Pokémon even rarer than your Ralts. You can't find anything like in anywhere in Hoenn; that's how rare it is."

Dina gaped. "Really? Then how'd you get it?"

He evidently hadn't expected her to ask that. He chuckled after a moment's hesitation and said, "That doesn't matter now. What I'm trying to say is that I'm going to offer a trade. This Pokémon is exclusive to Johto and Kanto, so you'll never find another one, whereas I'm certain you'll find more Ralts."

"Well, can't you go looking for your own Ralts?" Dina asked.

The man looked even more taken aback. "Er, I'm going to be leaving for somewhere far, far away very soon. Do you want it or not?" he hastily added.

"Sure. I'll take it!"

…

**-Petalburg City-**

I felt numb as I reentered the town. I still didn't know where Dina was, and she was my first priority. Please let her be okay and away from all of Vic's weird hench-people. Thankfully, Vic had chosen not to follow me. I'd left her behind in Petalburg Woods, but I felt tainted by the heavy new Poké Ball hanging on my belt.

Dina was not out and about, wandering the city and bothering random strangers about who-knows-what, but a certain other person was.

"Aisha! Aisha," I called to the brunette girl. The tiara she had last been wearing was nowhere in sight, replaced by a large headband of feathers. I remembered being wary of her appearance at first, but I'd never been so glad to see someone familiar and not _Vic._ Aisha was standing next to a taller blonde boy with wavy hair and an arrogant stance. She stopped in the middle of her sentence and looked over to me.

"Oh, Fin. You have arrived."

Huh. She sounded almost concerned, and she was talking in small, coherent sentences.

"Listen, have you seen Dina anywhere?" I asked.

Aisha tilted her head towards the blonde guy, who said, "What does she look like?"

He sounded normal enough, for someone who was acquainted with Aisha. He wore a navy blue button-up short-sleeved shirt and jeans. He was taller than I was, but paler. He would have looked like a sheltered city boy if not for the scowl in his eyes.

"Um, she has blonde hair. Lighter than mine. It's tied in a side ponytail. Also, she's bouncy. You'd know her if you met her." I wondered briefly if I was being too harsh, but then I remembered that Dina had ditched me to run off somewhere.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I saw her. She was in the Pokémon Center looking all happy."

I sighed in relief. "No one was with her?"

"No."

That was good. "Thanks. I'm Fin. Dina is my sister."

"Marceau Morin. I'm a…friend of Aisha's."

"I was arranging a convoy. Marceau is a vessel traveling home towards the citadel of the marine, the flowers of research," said Aisha. "He is familiar with the settlement and agrees to escort us."

"She means that I'm headed to Slateport," translated Marceau. "I was born there."

How convenient. With everything going wrong today, I was surprised to find that the gods of the world would even think of sending help. "Hey, Aisha," I said when something struck me as odd. "Why do you need me and Dina when you can pull out minions from your socks?"

"I assure you," said Marceau, "I would not touch any clothing article of hers."

Aisha smiled her knowing smile, fingered the assorted shinies sewn onto her dress, and replied, "Fin, even the Beedrill know to travel in hordes rather than existing isolated with their mates."

My sister decided to exit the Pokémon Center at that moment, humming and skipping and doing whatever else ten year old girls do when their happy and content. Instantly, my warning bells went off.

"Fin! Oh, Fin!" cried Dina. "Guess what? I caught a rare Pokémon. A Ralts!"

Now that was surprising. I knew that Ralts could be found near Petalburg, but I had not expected one to reveal itself to Dina, nor did I believe my sister had the capabilities to realize its worth and catch it. "Oh? And where is it?"

"I gave it away." Unfortunately, at least one of my beliefs had been correct. "I traded it for a rarer Pokémon!"

I was almost afraid to find out. "Really," I said, attempting to make myself sound cheerful. Both Aisha and Marceau found this very amusing.

"Yep. I named him Beany, and he's a special Pokémon that you can only find in Kanto and Johto. A nice man traded me." Dina still looked extremely proud of herself; she appeared to be very proud of this 'rare' and 'special' Pokémon. Frankly, I wasn't sure how special a Pokémon could be when it was named _Beany_.

"I think he likes me," announced Dina. She pulled out a Poké Ball and pressed the button. With a burst of light, a…stringy thing popped out and landed at our feet. It had a bell-shaped head atop a wiry body and two leaves for arms. As it looked around frantically, I found myself in shock. Again.

"Your tiny warrior is cute," said Aisha.

"Very," smirked Marceau, most likely to mock me. I didn't know what I did to warrant that; I'd just met him.

The thing hopped around for a while, mainly trying to dodge Dina's hands as she tried to pick him up. "Bell," he said. "Bell, bell."

That was the last straw. From now until the end of her journey, I was never letting my sister out of my sight. Maybe then she'd understand that trading a Ralts for a Bellsprout was one of the dumbest things to do in the Beginner's Guide to Pokémon Training.

**Don't get me wrong. I love Bellsprout. :)**

**To summarize this chapter: Dina gets a new Pokémon and screws that up, and Fin meets an old 'friend.' Also, Fin gets a new Pokémon too. None of these are good.**

**Marceau's name is pronounced "Mahr-soh," by the way.**

**Random fact that probably will have nothing to do with anything except characterization: Fin and Dina are actually both adopted. But they look enough alike to be real siblings.**

**Credits**

**Aisha Keyre belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow**

**Marceau Morin belongs to Misarina**

**Mr. Briney, Peeko, the two trainers in Route 102, Nurse Joy, and Pokémon belong to Nintendo**

**Fin, Dina, Vic, and the creepy guy who gives Dina a Bellsprout belong to me.**


	5. La Beauté de L'eau

**Disclaimer: I own the story, some of the characters, and the plot. And possible some other stuff that I forgot. I don't own Pokémon, other characters, and possibly other stuff that I also forgot.**

**Chapter Five: The Beauty of Water**

**-Oldale Town-**

By the time we reached Oldale, I had grown very tired of my traveling companions.

Marceau, the newest in our brigade, was very irritable. "Stop wandering off," he would snap to my sister as she progressively got more bored and distracted by the Pokémon wildlife. "Stop talking to those branches," he growled at Aisha after she'd been murmuring haikus to the trees for over five minutes. Frankly, I couldn't blame him.

Aisha was quicker than I had given her credit for. She was the first to notice Camerupt's Poké Ball. Of course, she hadn't brought it up normally. When I was busy watching Dina (safeguarding her from nonexistent Psycho-henchmen), she snatched Camerupt away and let it out.

"Oh, Fin! I didn't know you had a Camerupt," she said.

"That's because he doesn't," said Dina.

"Camerupt," Camerupt said.

"Well, he _didn't_," corrected Dina.

Both girls turned to me as if I was expected to reply. "I got it—" Aisha raised her eyebrow. "—while I was looking for Dina," I said.

Without looking at me, Marceau commented, "Camerupt aren't found around here. You'd have to go north, toward Lavaridge Town."

"Well, I met an old friend," I challenged. Maybe I shouldn't have used the word 'friend,' but he'd been needling at me for a while. "She'd been keeping it for me, and now she gave it back." I wasn't necessarily lying, but I could tell Marceau knew there was more to the story. He also knew I wasn't going to give it up, so he remained quiet.

Aisha did the same (thankfully, Dina remained oblivious), though she slowed to walk next to me, smiling dreamily. Camerupt tagged along behind us, stoic, simply watching. I recalled it after a moment, chilled by its stare.

And lastly, Dina was the same as always. She was highly energetic and interested in anything. Normally, these were good traits. As my sister busied herself by chasing Zigzagoon across the route while cackling not unlike the other female in our group, I was one hundred and twenty-seven percent sure that those traits were not of the pleasant variety.

"We're going north until we reach a river," said Marceau as we entered the borders of Oldale. "There's nothing for us to do in a small town like this. That river connects to a route close to Slateport."

Ah, I recalled the river. It wasn't far off, actually. Back when I collected badges, I had often used it to cut back to Littleroot in order to report back to the professor. It was much easier than traversing the northern parts of Hoenn in order to go around the river.

…

…

Wait. Wait a minute there.

"Dina," I said _pleasantly_ to my sister.

"Yeah, Fin?" she said innocently, stopping in her tracks (the Zigzagoon took the chance to run away). She didn't even know what I was about to say, and she was already slipping on her what-are-you-talking-about-I'm-just-a-little-girl-lalala face. Sneaky. I narrowed my eyes as the bad feeling in my gut intensified.

"Before you started on your journey, did you talk to a professor?" I asked.

Her smile didn't waver. "A professor? You mean like Professor Birch on TV? No. Why?"

At that, both Aisha and Marceau stopped in their tracks and looked back. I groaned. Maybe I should have brought this up later. In private. Without two extra pairs of ears listening in.

"Dina, tell me the qualifications of becoming a trainer." A small part of me, about the size of a large Zangoose, knew that she couldn't answer correctly. A smaller part – say…a toe – hoped against hope I was wrong. The rest of me tried not to think about it.

"Well," said Dina, "you get a Pokémon."

"…" I knew it. "…and?"

"You start walking?" she guessed.

"You generally need to contact a professor in order to confirm it. Also, they'll get you a trainer's card, which is useful for identification," explained Marceau. He turned to me and then added snidely, "It's necessary to enter the Ever Grande Conference, but that's not for awhile. The trainer's card is mostly used to ID trainers who are suspected to have committed crimes."

I grimaced but didn't back down. "Still," I insisted, "Professor Birch's lab is straight south from here. It would just be a short trip, and it would save us a lot of time later."

Marceau looked like he was about to protest, but Aisha waved him away. "Let us contact the professors," she said gently.

Before I could question her plural, Marceau glanced over at her in surprise and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You mean…not _them_…"

"Yup," said Aisha. She looked unperturbed, though her acquaintance appeared to be on the verge of breaking out in a rant. He probably would have but was clinging on to rationality because Dina and I were present.

So instead, he slowly forced out, "I don't like them. And by 'them,' I mean that I don't like Professor Hawthorne."

"Carleton is decent enough," Aisha reasoned. "Additionally, they possess the qualifications to support us. We _are_ due a visit." Ignoring Marceau's half-hearted grumbles, she continued. "Fin, Dina; there is no need to wander astray. We know certified professors who would be more than ecstatic to sail the flowers of knowledge."

She grappled with a Poké Ball before releasing a Taillow. That perched herself on my shoulder, by the way, for no reason at all except to inflict excruciating pain by digging her talons into my flesh. After Aisha relayed her instructions, the Taillow turned her head to stare at me haughtily (as if saying, "Well, my loyal subject? Why aren't you kissing my foot goodbye yet?" but that couldn't be possible. Why would a Pokémon look down on me like that? Oh, wait, never mind. I forgot about Mawile and Wailmer and doubtlessly every Pokémon Dina would ever own) before taking off. In the process of this, she thwacked me in the face with her wing and I almost toppled over. I had no idea that a Taillow could be that powerful, but _ow my nose_.

"I sincerely apologize for Alacritous," Aisha informed me. "She did not intend to. Anyways, it is very probable that she does not like you."

"…thanks," I said. My life sucked.

Marceau stopped at the edge of a river that had popped up. Somehow, we'd started walking again and had covered some distance. He let out his Swampert and said, "I trust you two have a Water type?"

"Yes! This is the perfect job for Wae!" announced Dina proudly. I gazed warily at the water, trying to discern even the hint of land. Anything to say that my time atop the Wailmer would be brief. Luck seemed to be on my side that day, and the river was just as short as I remembered. I could even make out the blurry figures of three trainers on the other side.

Aisha climbed onto Swampert with Marceau's reluctant help, and Dina all but shoved me over to Wae. Great. The whale bobbed up and down to further unbalance me, as if I wasn't already wary about the trip.

"All right, after this," Marceau said after we'd crossed half the river. Yeah, it was that small. "We're going to head south a bit until we see a bunch of tent-looking… _No_." His tone went from explanatory to disbelieving. He trailed off as he stared at the fast approaching shore. There was nothing much to note except the trees to the side and the three trainers. One was blonde, staring over to the Oldale shore. The other was a frantic looking fisherman with a tangled rod. The third was a girl, with dark red hair which I regarded grimly. Unlike Vic though, this girl kept her hair long, near her elbows. She stared ferociously at the water even though she stood at least six feet away. Her face was flushed, though I doubted it was a blush. Not much was happening around her. With the intensity she was glaring at the water, I wouldn't have been surprised if it started to steam.

"Lute," snarled Marceau with distaste. I assumed he knew her. As we headed into hearing range, he called out, "Hey, Lute! Archie's scum! What brings you here? As far as I remember, Team Aqua's already been defeated. Sadly, your beloved ocean isn't going to expand and drown you."

The girl, Lute, looked up, startled. She straightened when we reached shore and scowled. I looked over her outfit with mild disbelief; most others would be stunned but I had had the honor of traveling with the one and only Aisha Keyre.

I assumed she was a water specialist as she wore a yellow bathing suit with two sequin stripes across the belly. Along with this, she had an open orange jacket and a rather impractical white skirt to her knees. Lute topped this with about fifteen different necklaces that rivaled Aisha's in their shininess factor. Her shoes were laid beside her despite the dangers of going barefoot outside.

Simply judging by her outfit, I had the sinking feeling that my life just got a lot bit worse.

"Mar-see-ooh," Lute shouted, butchering Marceau's name. "You suck."

"I'm crying inside," Marceau deadpanned.

They began to insult each other without regard for the gathering audience and…well, us. I motioned Dina and Aisha over. "What's with them?"

Aisha smiled. "Oh, Marceau is simply strange."

Yeah, like you're one to talk.

"The girl is named Lute," said Aisha. In the background, I could hear yells of, "Go skulk back to the disgusting backwater you came from, sea hag," and "How dare you? I've told you that I hate water!" and "Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're wearing a bathing suit," and "Only because it's cute!" Dina was more amused than she should be. I could tell she wanted to join in despite not knowing what was going on. "She was previously a constituent of the iniquitous clergy of the ocean. Marceau pursues these former Team Aqua members and submits them to the authorities, but Lute was released."

"Why?" Dina asked. She had heard of Team Aqua and Magma from television shows that exaggerated their villainy, and I myself was familiar with their deeds. All too familiar.

Aisha shrugged. "Lute simply was innocent. She, frankly, was a Magikarp at the bottom of the food chain. All she ever accomplished as menial tasks. No one could condemn her for shining the commanding Kingdra's boots."

"But Kingdra don't wear boots," said Dina as her mind shut down at the prospect of metaphors.

Lute broke away from Marceau and stomped over to Aisha. "You're cute," she announced, apparently approving of Aisha's shinies, "so I won't hit you. However, don't speak of that time period! It was terrible. There was so much water and work and sunburns!" So that was the cause of the permanent red flush across her face. "Oh, hi there," she said, noticing Dina and me. "What're your names?"

"I'm Dina! This is Fin! Hi, Magikarp Lady."

That was the last thing I heard before pain erupted from my stomach and it took me at least a minute to recover and piece together that Lute had just elbowed me in the gut!

"Wh…what as that for?" I cried, sounding strangled.

Lute flicked her hair out of her face. "I didn't want to hurt a girl. If she calls me such a grotesque nickname again, I'll do worse."

Marceau coughed. "Don't turn away from me; I know something's up with the Teams. You're one of the few who got away. I'm sure you know something."

Lute snapped to attention and glowered, taking six cautionary steps backwards. Then, deeming herself too close to the water, she took twelve steps in the opposite direction. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell an ungentlemanly guy like you."

"Oh, really," said Marceau. "Then I guess you haven't seen Team Magma's escaped admin Tabitha now, have you?"

He was rewarded as Lute's eyes widened and she flinched away. Then she smiled weakly, and her cheeks flushed more with a real blush. "Sounds like a challenge."

"You're on." Swampert crawled out of the river where he'd been lurking. A wide grin broke out on the blue Pokémon's face as he eagerly anticipated the battle.

Lute harrumphed and beckoned Dina and I over. No, I furrowed my brow; she was calling something behind us… "Holy Miltank," I muttered. A dark blur shot past me. I hadn't even noticed it. How long had it been there?

It stopped in front of the red-haired girl and sat down. It was a normal Mightyena in every aspect except for a brown cloth bag around his body. Lute reached down into it and rummaged around while the Mightyena looked bored and somewhat exasperate. Lute pulled out five Poké Balls, setting them near her discarded shoes. Joining them were a variety of traveling items, maps, food…and a parasol. When the bag was empty, Lute stood up and pointed at Swampert. "Okay, Dandelion, win this for us!"

'Dandelion' obediently stepped forward. He shook his ennui away though he still looked disgruntled.

"Marceau claims to abhor Lute because of her background," Aisha told me, "but that is not entirely true. He is mainly annoyed by her flamboyance."

"You know him well," I remarked.

Aisha blinked. "We were recently introduced. It is a simple feat to read him though, and I like to study people."

"What about me?" I asked.

"I have observed that you are also a simple creature," Aisha replied sagely. I sighed. She sounded objective, but I couldn't view it as a compliment. "Or at least on the surface. There is a possibility that you are more complex that even you know."

…I had complained about being called simple, but even when she said the opposite, I felt like she was insulting me in a way I couldn't comprehend. I stopped thinking about it and turned my attention to the battle.

The Mightyena had just taken a hit from a strong Take Down and was recovering slowly. Swampert opened his mouth to launch what might have been Mud Shot but was quickly distracted by a Roar from Dandelion. The two engaged in a standstill glaring contest. While Mightyena looked more frightening with his hackles raised and teeth bared, Marceau seemed more dangerous. It was difficult to take the pink-faced Lute and her wardrobe seriously.

"Water Gun!" ordered Marceau. Swampert complied, but Dandelion easily dodged the jet of water. Lute startled me (and everyone in the area practically) by letting out a high-pitched scream. She ducked even though, with the direction the attack was going, it would miss her and sprinkle her lightly.

Then Dandelion surprised everyone again by turning around and jumping into the attack headfirst. He was blown backwards into a tree and landed heavily. I noticed that Lute remained dry this way; still, she was visibly shaken.

"Um, right," she said as if her Pokémon had not needlessly taken damage. "D-Dandelion, hit it with Thief!"

The Mightyena rose to his feet and took off after Swampert.

"Mud Bomb," commanded Marceau.

Dandelion jumped right to avoid the first blob of dirt and sped up to dodge the second. The third landed across his right hind leg, making him stumble, and right before the Mightyena could land a hit, Swampert launched a Mud Bomb that caught Dandelion across the chest.

"Assurance!" yelled Lute. The Mightyena fell to the ground and tried again, aggression fueling the attack. Even Dina could tell that Dandelion was weak.

"Aw," she cooed. "But he's so cute…"

"Finish this," Marceau said, calmer than he'd been for the whole battle. "Muddy Water."

Lute didn't counter it. In fact, I would say she couldn't counter it. She turned pale white despite her sunburn, and she stood rooted to her spot. Absolutely terrified summarized her expression nicely. Dandelion had also frozen, but only momentarily. Once it had sunken in exactly what Swampert was about to do with the wave he was pulling from the river, the Mightyena acted on his own impulses. He started out running and emerged in a Take Down.

"No!" gasped Dina.

"Fascinating," mused Aisha.

Dandelion ignored his opponent completely in favor of an easier target: the defenseless Marceau.

I fumbled for Mawile's Poké Ball. Aisha watched with poorly veiled captivation. She didn't appear too worried for Marceau's wellbeing, but that didn't calm my nerves. Cursing, I dropped it (this situation was dripping in déjà vu).

Swampert dropped all attack preparations and launched himself at Mightyena. The two Pokémon wrestled, Swampert ending up on top. Swampert raised a fist, blinded by anger, and Dandelion struggled to no avail. Marceau and Lute were in similar states of petrifaction and in no condition to step in.

Against my better judgment, my hand paused over Mawile's Ball before forgoing it for Camerupt. The Fire and Ground hybrid materialized next to the brawling Pokémon and shoved them apart. I strode forward.

"This is out of hand," I said.

Swampert sat back and yawned, watching carefully as Dandelion, who had enough grace to look ashamed, retreated. The Mightyena picked up Lute's discarded items with his teeth and placed them one-by-one into his pack. Then he took the flip flops and set them in front of his trainer. He nudged Lute tenderly. Even when he had been embarrassed over his trainer's previous behavior, the Mightyena could not disguise his relief as the girl sank to the floor and wrapped her arms around him.

We stared almost uncomprehendingly as Lute left. I'm still not quite sure how it happened. When I snapped back into reality, I realized that Camerupt was watching me. I shuddered and returned him. Dina walked up and hugged me from behind, burying her face into my shirt.

"Are you certain you want to permit her to flee?" Aisha broke the tension by speaking.

Marceau turned away with a sneer. "Whatever. I don't think she'll try anything after this."

"She looked scared," said Dina. I don't think anyone else heard her; even I would have missed her soft whisper (for once) had she not been standing in such close proximity.

Aisha turned to the dumbfounded trainers that had collected around the shore to watch. "Very well. You all may disperse. There is nothing more to observe."

They did, and the few that lingered were promptly scared away by a laugh from Marceau's Swampert. I collected my wits and tried to pretend that nothing had happened. I was surprised that Marceau was calm. Although he stated he disliked Lute for her history, he didn't seem to mind the fact that Dandelion had attacked him, an action that probably breached at least half of the rules set by the Pokémon League. Lute could be punished for any trauma caused by her Pokémon; any trainer could.

"Okay," I said, trying to smile, "we should get going. Slateport's close, and we still need to get your ID, Dina."

"And you are assembling the emblems of elements? I understand that you have obtained the power of body and spirit from the waves. In Slateport, you have the opportunity to challenge nature as well," said Aisha.

"I see!" claimed Dina when I could tell that she 'saw' absolutely nothing at all.

I more accurately said, "Wait, what?"

"You're gathering badges, you've got the Knuckle badge, and there's a Grass gym in Slateport," said Marceau, sounding bored.

"There is?" I asked. That was the first time I had heard of such a thing.

"It's fairly well-known around here. Where did you go to get your badges?"

I recounted my journey with difficulty. "Um, I started out at Dewford, like Dina, and headed up to Petalburg. But then I went to Rustboro, cut over to Mauville, Lavaridge, and then Fortree… I guess that means I never went to Slateport on my journey."

That didn't mean I'd never been there. I had gone to Slateport several times, but that was after I had lost the Conference, while I was with…Vic. I hadn't heard of a Gym then, but honestly, the badges had been the last thing on my mind during that span of time.

"Fin!" said Dina cheerfully. Looking at her face made me feel like everything was a-okay, normal, and safe. "Just tell me which Gyms were the coolest so we can head over there!"

Like everything was normal.

We started walking again, Marceau in the lead and Aisha lagging behind. As my sister chattered away to keep the memories at bay, I hoped we'd never see Lute again. Maybe she would mysteriously vanish from the world. Maybe Marceau would suddenly turn around and announce that he was actually best friends with Lute and he'd just been putting on a scripted show. Maybe the rest of Dina's journey would be like the adventures that typical a ten year old would encounter, the kind that never made the cut to become a television show.

Sadly, I knew that wouldn't be the case. Ignoring the discreet looks passed between Aisha and Marceau, I cast one last glance at the gleaming red eyes in the forest behind us. Then I took a deep breath and followed my sister into Slateport.

Whatever came would come, and I would face it.

**So, updating again. Compared to the others, this chapter didn't take long at all~ Of course, I'm not as confident about this chapter, so I hope you'll tell me if I did anything wrong. You've most likely noticed that it's different from the rest of the story; less humor, more drama.**

**The reason I'm updating today rather than any other day (I blame Jigglypuff's Pillow for this one) is because the date is 6-25. 625 is the perfect square of a perfect square. It is a fourth power, and four is also a square. When Puff told me this…well, I thought it was cool. /useless math stuff**

**Next chapter will probably concern Dina's ID and the problems that arise from that. Chapter 7 will be about challenging the Grass gym and the problems that arise from that. As you can see, in the Fin-verse, there are more than eight gyms in a region, and Dina's journey will not entail all the canon gyms. Useless fact: Fin's did, but he didn't follow them in the canon order.**

**Credits**

**Marceau Morin belongs to Misarina**

**Aisha Keyre belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow**

**Professor Hawthorne (mentioned) belongs to Shadowdragoon32**

**Professor Carleton (mentioned) belongs to Maecenas**

**Thanks, iflip4dolphins, for beta-ing**

**Professor Birch, Archie, the trainers on Route 103, and Pokémon belong to Nintendo**

**Dina, Fin, Lute, and Vic belong to me**


	6. Les Chercheurs de Connaissance

**Disclaimer: No.**

**Chapter Six: The Seekers of Knowledge**

**-Slateport City-**

I stumbled down the stairs and found myself in the Pokémon Center lobby. The time between reaching Slateport and now, the next morning, was blurred irretrievably. Bright lights danced in my vision. I could see no one I recognized until the Nurse Joy slipped away from the counter and approached.

"I take it you are Fin Commons?" she asked me.

"Uh, yeah," I said, waging a war with my better judgment. Nothing good could come from people knowing my name without my telling them, but it was only Nurse Joy…

"Please follow me."

I followed her in a calm and professional fashion. I did not check around the corners for lurking assassins or red-haired freaks. That would be paranoid of me, and (sans my sister, Aisha Keyre and her strange associate Marceau Morin, my stalker Vic, and my life in general) I did not have any reason to be paranoid.

Nurse Joy led me through a series of hallways, all unremarkable in appearance, and stopped in front of a wooden door. It was a normal door, like all the others in the Pokémon Center. I felt the need to specifically point out the normalcy of everything because nothing strange at all was happening.

…I could already feel the insanity seeping in.

Of course, I had known something was up from the moment I had awoken when I noticed that my sister was not in her bed. On average, she woke up several hours before I did, leaving her unsupervised.

A ten year old couldn't get arrested, could she? At least not with such short notice. Oh, Nurse Joy was opening the door – now I was panicking. Was it something to do with Dina? No? What about the rest of my freaky—

It looked like a conference room. The floor was all gray tiles and the walls were undecorated white plaster. No windows and only one door. The only furniture was a long table in the center of the room and the chairs that accompanied it.

"Hi, Fin!" said Dina as she waved enthusiastically. Nurse Joy smiled and shut the door behind me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her, which in Fin-ese meant, "Dina, what have you done and how long until we can visit Slateport again without mobs ripping our guts out?"

I didn't realize that the whole gang, plus two extras, was there until Aisha spoke up, amused. "Fin."

I looked up and realized there were people in the room that I didn't know.

"Meet the professors, Magnus Jasper Carleton and Jem Hawthorne," droned Marceau looking unimpressed as he gestured to the two strangers respectively.

The professors were remarkably similar, having messy black hair, green eyes, and glasses. The main difference between them was their outfits; Hawthorne wore the stereotypical white lab coat while Carleton sported a black leather coat.

Professor Carleton grinned lightly. "You're the famed Fin Commons, huh? Nice to meet you. Please, you don't look that much younger than me. Just call me Magnus."

I grabbed his extended hand and shook it, albeit suspiciously. Famed? Not really; no one paid attention to the losers at a conference. I suppose Aisha and Marceau might have spoken about me, but that possibility only made me more worried.

Hawthorne stuck a pale hand into his pocket and removed a bottle of pills. Shaking one out, he leaned his head back and popped it into his mouth. Then he brought his eyes level to mine, palm still obscuring the lower half of his face (and probably a malicious smile as well), and said, "Hello there. You have a most amusing sister. I wouldn't mind having someone like her around the lab. My name is Jeremy Hawthorne. I look forward to…_working_ with you."

"No kidnapping," snapped Marceau. He muttered several other obscenities that had Dina poking at me and asking what they meant. Despite his frustration, I noted with interest that he sat in the farthest possible seat from the Professor Hawthorne.

I shook Hawthorne's hand, much less willingly than I had for Carleton. Something about the man just struck me as unstable, unlike Carleton's suave atmosphere. I attributed this to years of Dina exposure and the side effects of suspicion.

"Sorry to call you away from your work," I said. "Dina's a bit ignorant and never applied for a trainer's card before jumping into her journey, and professors have the qualifications to issue them. I was going to go to Professor Birch, but Aisha recommended you two and…" I stopped myself before I started rambling. Because I hadn't yet. Yeah.

Carleton waited patiently until I had shut up. Then, still smiling, he said, "Yeah, we know."

Great. Even complete strangers enjoyed watching me make a fool of myself.

"Oh," I said eloquently. "Well, if it wouldn't be any trouble, can you just give her one? We'll be out of your hair and then you can go back to researching and stuff."

Hawthorne placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin gently on his clasped hands. "We can…but not for free."

I furrowed my brow; I hadn't had to pay any fees for my card. Fortunately, I probably had some leftover money from Aisha for the Poké Balls.

"I don't care about money," interrupted Hawthorne, as if he could read my mind (most likely, my expression said it all). "I would much prefer it if you donated a rare Pokémon for observation and dissection to extend the fields of science. In fact, a Spiritomb or perhaps even a legendary would be excellent."

Why yes, I had a Camerupt that I wouldn't mind getting rid of… Wait. I stopped all further thought. Had he said _dissection_?

Carleton laughed. "He's kidding, of course." Really, now. The gleam in Hawthorne's dark green eyes suggested otherwise. Intellectuals had strange senses of humor. "Fin, you qualified for the Ever Grande Conference, yes?"

"Uh, yeah… How did you know that?" Again, it wasn't the most common knowledge.

He waved a dismissive hand. "I'm a scientist; I have my ways."

Although Carleton seemed like the sane partner in the duo, I was getting a little apprehensive about the overflowing wells of information he had on me. Okay, exaggerating a little, and I suppose he might have simply witnessed my defeat while channel surfing but… Between Aisha and Vic and whoever else was out there, I really did not need any more stalkers.

Carleton continued. "It's nothing drastic. Don't let Jem get to you. We only need to test Miss Dina's potential. Since you are an experienced trainer, we believe that the best course of action would be to pit you against your sister. Understand?"

"Uh, yeah," I said again. "But wouldn't that be a bit too easy? I could just let her win on purpose. I am her brother, after all."

Hawthorne spoke up. "Yes, but even if you manipulated the battle to appear like Dina beat you at your best, would that be beneficial at all for her?"

They looked too young to be professors, meaning that obviously they had to be gifted for their ages. I decided that I, being a normal person rather than a genius, really had no chance in comprehending their logic and reasoning.

"Alright, I'll do it."

…

**-Route 109-**

I had to admit that I was not the best older brother, not even in the loosest sense. In fact, I had a very low expectation for Dina in this battle. I wasn't trying to be overconfident or arrogant, but using my extensive dealings with my sister, I figured she'd do something dumb right off the bat.

I debated sending out Camerupt. That way, Wae would have a double advantage. Even though Professor Hawthorne had pointed out that going easy on Dina wouldn't help her any, I was pretty sure going all out wouldn't either. Then I realized that Camerupt would ruthlessly crush Dina without any regard for letting her "potential" show. Vic probably had brainwashed it.

"Mawile, let's get this over with," I sighed, letting her out of her Poké Ball. We were standing on the beach south of Slateport now, with the umbrellas and other obstructions cleared out of the way for our battle. Little children carrying swim tubes and bigger kids carrying bigger swim tubes gathered around the outskirts of our makeshift battlefield. Aisha and Marceau were next to Dina, and the professors stood near me.

"Oh! I finally have a chance to see what Beany can do!" Dina decided.

No. No!

Carleton silenced my objection with a sharp glance. As Dina released her Pokémon, Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. "A Bellsprout? Strange. You don't run into those often. Well, not in Hoenn, anyway."

"Yeah, Dina's…one of a kind," I managed lamely.

"This is going to be a practice battle," said Carleton, raising his voice for Dina to hear too. "There is no need for a referee or a real set of rules. The only thing you need to know is that it's one-on-one, and that your aim is to win. Begin."

I nodded for Dina to take the first move. Her brow furrowed in thought as she studied Bellsprout.

"Vine Whip!" she cried, naming one of the more obvious attacks in Beany's arsenal. I didn't have to tell Mawile anything; she easily caught the vines with her second mouth and yanked. The Bellsprout face-planted into the sand, flailing.

Aisha murmured something, but I was too far away to hear. "A sand angel," observed Carleton, looking amused.

Beany jumped back up again. The sand slid smoothly off of his slick, wiry body, aided by the Bellsprout's wild gestures. "Bell! Bellsprout, bell, bell, sprout!"

Perhaps he was indignant, but he sounded more panicked than angry.

"Razor Leaf, Beany," demanded Dina. I grimaced and risked a quick look towards the professors. Their faces betrayed none of their thoughts. Mine, though, were obvious. With her first two attacks having nothing in common, I deduced that my sister was just shouting out commands until one worked. Bellsprout were not often featured on television (for obvious reasons); there was no way she knew any decent combos and with her experience level, Dina wouldn't be making one up any time soon.

Mawile snatched up the leaves and sent them spinning back at Beany.

"Easy, Mawile, this is a teaching battle," I muttered.

Hm, a _teaching_ battle. That warranted another glance at the professors, not that they divulged anything.

It got me thinking. If I was supposed to be teaching Dina, I supposed it would have to be subtle. And what could I teach her? It would be too obvious to explain the benefits of combining attacks, and if I repeatedly used combos, Beany would be down for the count before Dina realized anything.

I was hesitating. I started when Carleton coughed lightly. All eyes were on me. Even Beany had recovered and was looking puzzled.

"Mah," snickered Mawile.

"Shush, you," I grumbled. "You trust me?"

Mawile didn't reply; she turned her back to me and made a slight harrumphing noise. That was her answer.

"Thanks," I conceded. I took a deep breath. This was probably the first time I'd even considered doing something this brash. I'd seen it done before, but… I wasn't sure if I had the guts to pull it off.

Mawile, my very first Pokémon, flexed her powerful jaw muscles. We'd been together for five years: five long years full adventures that the average trainer wouldn't have imagined, and for good reason. Our journey hadn't always been…just. What I had done could not be called lawful.

And yet, Mawile, despite her strong and independent nature, had remained with me past that. So yes, of course I could trust her.

"Mawile." Another breath. The professors looked concerned. "Go for it."

_Go for what?_ The question hung in the air for a while before Mawile smirked. Mighty teeth bared, she sauntered forward. Beany backed up, looking unstable on his flimsy legs.

I sat back. I had relinquished control over anything that happened now. Mawile would know what to do. She was smart. Pokémon were smart, smarter than we, the controlling trainers had ever given them credit for.

Now what would Mawile do to make Dina see that?

I could only watch.

…

**-Route 109-**

The truth was the professors were paying little attention to the battle. Nothing mattered but the outcome, and only a fool couldn't predict that victor beforehand.

"A conference veteran with five years of experience under his belt verses a greenhorn girl like Dina," deliberated Hawthorne. "Perhaps you've developed a slight sadistic streak, Magnus?"

Carleton skimmed over the battle, running his fingers lazily against the surface of his interrobang pendant. "Please, Jem, spare me." He sighed. "Besides, Fin's forfeited his right to battle. It's all the Mawile now. What a waste."

"I was hoping to observe this Fin more closely, but I guess that will have to wait." Hawthorne smiled, looking wholly unstable. "Strange, though. From what I've heard, Fin Commons is not the type to let a battle be decided through anyone's skill except his own."

"He's changing," said Carleton. "I wonder what triggered this?"

A new voice chimed in. "Most amusing. It almost sounds as if you are more concerned with Fin than Dina."

Both professors turned their heads to see Aisha, followed by Marceau. The latter displayed his discomfort with a glower.

"Interesting deduction," grinned Hawthorne. "Care to continue?"

Aisha hummed. The melody was composed of a single note that carried on for half a minute. "Very well. It is doubtless that His Majesty has set covert instructions that you cannot share with us. We are, after all, of an inferior station."

"Please stop calling him His Majesty," snapped Marceau. "It isn't like he's royalty; every time he hears that, his ego inflates about a mile more. He's such an insufferable prick."

The girl laughed. "His Majesty most likely views Fin Commons as a dangerous adversary. Why else would he keep such close surveillance on one of his numerous defeated challengers?"

"Excellent, Aisha," said Hawthorne. "And what does Marceau think?"

"Marceau thinks you're all freaks," said Marceau stiffly.

"Jem," murmured Carleton, "take a look at that Bellsprout again."

Mawile was, in short, destroying Beany. Because Bellsprout's only obvious attacks were Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Wrap (all of which Beany fumbled with), Mawile could easily predict Dina's commands. There wasn't much time left in the battle.

Beany attempted again to restrain Mawile's movements with a Vine Whip, but was thwarted by a Bite.

"Wrap!" cried Dina in a rare moment of inspiration.

More vines erupted from the Bellsprout's leaves and entangled themselves around Mawile's mouth. They tightened, fastening her jaws shut. Mawile didn't show any concern for her slip up; her grin was feral without the extra fangs adding to the effect.

"Razor Leaf," Dina demanded.

Beany scurried around before launching the attack in Mawile's direction.

"Hrm?" grunted Hawthorne in surprise. Carleton exhaled evenly.

It certainly wasn't leaves that Beany fired towards Mawile; not with the way the orbs glowed orange and flickered like flames. Mawile was astounded by the sight and didn't escape her binds in time; they collided with her maw and left ugly scorch marks.

"…Weather Ball?" observed Aisha.

Carleton walked forward, entering a dangerous zone without batting an eye. Dina stopped mid-command and Mawile retreated back to Fin, fuming over her recent injuries. "Dina," said Carleton rather pleasantly. "We've seen enough. Let's go back to the conference room. Jem and I have something we'd like to talk about."

…

**-Slateport City-**

"Where did you acquire your Bellsprout?" was the first thing said once the professors, Dina, and I were seated. Marceau and Aisha had been sidetracked by a Nurse Joy who informed them that they had a phone call.

I was surprised. The weird professors looked relatively serious for once. Well, Carleton was maintaining a nice-guy smile, and Hawthorne had slowly deteriorated until he looked as if he would collapse into hysterics without warning; nevertheless, their tones suggested that Dina was trudging through extremely dangerous territory.

Because my sister was not a bad person (just dumb), I rushed to explain before she could screw something up. "She traded for it. A Ralts. I mean, she traded her Ralts for the Bellsprout, which I know sounds unreasonable and unlikely, but you know how she is. Actually, you probably don't, and if you do, that's a little creepy, but since we're all friends here, let's just let it go, right?"

Oh, I really needed to learn how to shut up.

"A trade," repeated Carleton. "How convenient."

"Uh, yeah," I said, dumbfounded. Really, what was I supposed to say?

"After all, it's unnatural for a Bellsprout to ever be capable of using Weather Ball. Generally, that move is restricted to Castform and very, very few other specimens. Actually, I've only ever seen one other Bellsprout that could use Weather Ball. Remember, Jem? It was one of the subjects in the lab. Was," reiterated Carleton.

"I remember," said Hawthorne. His voice was definitely higher-pitched than I remembered. He rolled around a pink pearl in his hands, looking nervous and menacing and a lot of other things I didn't care to identify. "I had planned to experiment a little with it. Unfortunately, someone stole it away from the lab before I had the opportunity, and I never did get to find out what made it tick." He stabbed the pearl. "Bellsprout. Bellsprout. I have not yet dissected a Bellsprout. Why haven't I dissected a Bellsprout? That flimsy little body can somehow support its large bulb head. I need to find out how. I _need_ to find out _how_."

There was a moment of silence before Carleton said, "Jem, your medication."

Hawthorne paused before taking out a bottle of pills. "Ah, right. Carry on."

Carleton coughed. "I'm sorry for that," he apologized. "Anyways, as Jem said, we were studying a Bellsprout called Fabio. Fabio had the mysterious ability to use Weather Ball, and we were hoping to learn how. A robber broke into the lab before we could, though, and we never did."

"Strange," said Dina. "But if there are two Bellsprout that can use Weather Ball, there might be a lot more! You could go out and catch another one!"

We ignored her. "You think Dina stole the Bellsprout," I said.

"Even if she didn't," said Hawthorne, who had recovered after taking his 'medication,' "that Bellsprout is a stolen Pokémon. Simply possessing it is a crime in itself. If we chose to, we could turn her into the police station."

"That's not—" I stopped. _If we chose to… _"You're not going to?"

Carleton shrugged. "I find it in bad taste to end a young girl's journey just like that. I'll let her go."

"But we want the Bellsprout back in return," finished Hawthorne.

That was reasonable. Beany, or rather, Fabio had been theirs to begin with. I turned to tell Dina to—

"No," said Dina.

"What?" asked Carleton.

"No," she repeated.

The professors sweatdropped. "And why not? You understand that your Bellsprout was stolen. Resistance could get you arrested."

Dina shook her head. "You and Professor Hawthorne and Fin, you all keep saying Bellsprout this and Bellsprout that. But you're wrong." She held up a Poké Ball. "This is Beany. He's not Fabio and he's not an experiment or some kind of research subject. I got him fairly, so he's mine."

A thin line spread across Carleton's face. It was a familiar expression, often induced by Dina's stubbornness.

"Now, Dina," began Hawthorne. "The official Pokémon League rules would render your capture obsolete seeing as your Beany was taken forcibly from a previous—"

"Prove it," sniffed Dina, looking all for the world like a spoiled child whose favorite toy had been taken away.

"What?"

"Prove it. You said that your Bellsprout Fabio was stolen. But Fabio isn't Beany. I refuse to believe it until you prove me wrong." She crossed her arms and pouted angrily. Oh, Dina…

Carleton leaned back and stared down at her. "Okay, then. Prove that Beany isn't Fabio. Can you?"

I sighed. He was a professor; he could easily outsmart a ten year old girl. But Dina smiled brightly. "Of course I can. I'm Beany's trainer. That's easy!"

Then again, I supposed I had underestimated Dina's child-like mind. She hadn't yet grasped the concept of ownership. Everything was so simple in her world.

"We're listening," said Hawthorne.

"Just ask Beany," said Dina.

My jaw dropped. She didn't…seriously think it would be that easy. Just ask Beany? She just got him. Could she really understand him? And what if she could? What if he really was Fabio? The odds were definitely against her.

She let the Bellsprout out of his Poké Ball. Beany materialized on the conference table and frantically looked around, waving his leaves in enthusiasm (though it looked a lot like terror…).

"Beany!" my sister announced, plucking the poor thing up off of the table. He froze as Dina lifted him, before resuming his thrashing with triple the normal vigor. "I got you in a trade for a Ralts, and I'm glad I did. You're a great addition to my team. Together, we're going to ace the gym challenge and the Ever Grande Conference. We'll be just like Fin and Mawile, right?"

The Bellsprout floundered around, emitted strange and shrill chirps. "Bell, bell, bell!"

"I knew it," smirked Dina. "I win."

I didn't point out that being just like me would mean _losing_ the Conference or that she didn't 'know' anything. In fact, it wasn't even clear what Beany was shrieking at us. I, for one, couldn't honestly say that Dina had proved anything.

Carleton laughed. He sounded truly delighted. "So you have."

Huh? "She has?" I asked.

"Tell me, Jem, have you ever seen a Bellsprout so excited by the prospect of adventure?"

Hawthorne sighed. "No, I have not," he admitted. "What a shame. I had looked forward to…reacquainting myself with Fabio…forgive me, I mean with Beany. Perhaps I will have to import a specimen. I suppose I would have to lie about my intentions though…"

"He's kidding," insisted Carleton.

I sighed. I guess we were right back where we started.

"We are professors," Carleton continued, looking subdued now. "We've dedicated our lives to research and Pokémon. I understand the infatuation induced by the prospect of travel, and I understand that it is in Beany's best interest to journey with you, Miss Dina Commons." He smiled. "We would be honored to give you a Trainer's Card."

I was pretty sure that Dina stopped listening after hearing complicated words like 'infatuation,' 'induced,' and 'prospect' all used at the same time.

"Gee, thanks," she said, before lifting Beany up and spinning around. "Hear that? We'll be together forever and ever!"

The Bellsprout waved his leaves some more and looked like he was about to cry. From happiness, maybe?

There was a knock on the door that kept me from following that thought further. It opened to reveal Aisha and Marceau. They were dressed for travel.

"Professors," said Marceau curtly. "The_ King_ called. _That woman_ is stirring up trouble again. You two have been ordered to secure the situation in Fallarbor."

Aisha stepped up to me. "Fin Commons, I apologize with the whole of my being. I am unable to accompany you any longer. Thank you for your time." To Dina, she said, "I am assured that we will meet again. Perhaps then we will compare strengths."

"Where are you going?" asked Dina.

"To a place where Frolic can meander among the trees," replied Aisha.

"Aisha," warned Marceau.

"Coming," she said. The odd duo exited together.

When Carleton cleared his throat, we turned our attention back to the professors. "It appears we must depart as well."

"Dina's Trainer's Card," I remembered.

Yawning, Hawthorne dismissed my objection with a wave of his hand. "We planned on giving her one from the beginning. She's already registered. Here it is."

The Trainer's Card was pink with DINA COMMONS at the top, along with a string of twelve numbers that was her Trainer's ID. Her face was pictured in a box on the left, and on the right was a list of her basic information: things like age, birthday, and hometown.

"…how did you get her picture?" I asked.

"I'm a scientist; I have my ways," said Carleton with a laugh.

As Dina marveled over her card, the professors stood up and shook my hand. "It's been a pleasure today," said Hawthorne. "Stay out of trouble. Try not to trade for stolen Pokémon."

"She'll try," I assured him.

They headed for the door, but at the last second, Carleton turned his head and winked. "And it would be best not to consort with Victoria anymore."

"Yeah," I said automatically to the back of his head. Then…

_Wait, what? Vic?_

"Wait!" I cried, jumping up and sprinting out into the hallway. He knew Vic? He knew Vic? Did Aisha and Marceau…?

They were gone. They were gone, but I had the sinking feeling that I hadn't seen the last of them.

**Ah, this chapter. It probably was less than adequate. Really, the professors are fun to use, but… I suck.**

**Next chapter is the gym and their new travelling companions. Fin and Dina will change companions periodically throughout the story, just to let you know.**

**Anyways, Beany/Fabio. The way I got his name went kind of like: Bellsprout = Bell = Bello = Beautiful (in Italian) = Italian = Fabio = (derived from) Fabius = (meaning) Bean. Did I have too much fun with this? Yes, yes I did.**

**I actually dislike using Egg Moves (because some of them are outrageous). Unfortunately, this idea was too fun to pass up. While on the topic of Beany… You can guess whether Beany wanted to travel or not. Of course, based on this story in general, that's a pretty easy guess.**

**Also, I've changed some things in Chapter Two (by 'some things,' I mean that last scene with Tabitha) because I recently decided on what exactly the plot would entail. So you should check that out because…well, plot.**

**Useless fact: Dina's Trainer ID is 733467206329. Fin's is 187727225625. This was not entirely random. See if you can guess what's so special about those numbers.**

**Last chapter, I got a lot more reviews (well, in PM-form…) than usual. So I assume that I have more readers. Then again, there was a month in between updates, so I probably lost some again… lD Whatever. I just wanted to shout out to everyone who's still reading this despite my erratic updating, and especially to everyone who has reviewed. Thank you all.**

**Credits**

**Aisha Keyre belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow**

**Marceau Morin belongs to Misarina**

**Magnus Carleton belongs to Maecenas (I've been wanting to ask you. How do you pronounce Carleton? Is it "Karl-tuhn" or "Kar-leh-tuhn"? Or neither? Personally, I call him the latter in my head, but you should correct me if I'm wrong)**

**Jeremy "Jem" Hawthorne belongs to Shadowdragoon32**

**Nurse Joy and Pokémon belong to Nintendo**

**Fin, Dina, Vic, and the mentioned "His Majesty" belong to me**


	7. Le Bourgeon d'Innocence

**Disclaimer: I don't own much. Whatever the voices tell you is a lie. Full credits below.**

**Chapter Seven: The Bud of Innocence**

**-Slateport City-**

They disappeared, of course.

Disregarding Dina's Trainer's Card and the astounding questions they left in their midst, there was nothing to suggest that the professors Carleton and Hawthorne ever existed. They vanished. Neither Nurse Joy nor the other loiterers in the lobby recalled seeing two suspicious coated figures leaving. Whoever the professors had been and whatever their goal was, the only thing crystal clear was this: I had not seen the last of them…and the next time they popped up would certainly not be a heartwarming reunion.

It was two days before Dina finally snapped, threw a fit, and forced me to visit Slateport Gym – two days that I spent combing the city for any signs of Aisha, Marceau, and the professors. I came up empty-handed. I didn't even know where the former pair had gone. Aisha's reply had been incomprehensible. Dancing reminded me of a contest hall (Lilycove?), but trees? Perhaps Petalburg Woods?

As such, I was mildly distracted as Dina dragged me through the gym's double doors. It was a rather unimpressive building. After Dina began yelling challenges at maximum volume, I snapped out of my reverie and took in my surroundings (after lecturing her senseless).

We appeared to have barged into someone's living room. There was a television in the far corner, and two sofas surrounding a glass coffee table. On a nearby wall, a collection of pictures displayed various shots of a family of three. The largest photo, encased in a silver frame decorated with a vine motif, was of a pouting black-haired girl with dark eyes.

"I don't think we're in a gym," I said to Dina. She scoffed.

"Of course we're in a gym! My intelligence network is perfect!" She'd asked Nurse Joy for directions this morning.

"Maybe the info was right and you just heard it wrong?" I suggested. I was only teasing her, but with Dina, the possibility loomed over us as frighteningly plausible.

Dina seemed to think so too, as she mulled my words over. The insult made a _whooshing_ sound as it sailed over her head.

"Let's look around!" she declared all of a sudden. She sprinted away before I could retaliate, running into what looked to be an empty kitchen.

With our luck, we'd definitely get caught. I decided I'd better put an end to this. "Dina, we're in someone's _house_. You can't go snooping around! That's illegal."

"I'm looking for the Gym Leader," Dina sniffed, peering into a pantry. "It's an investigation."

"Does this look like a gym to you?" I cried.

Behind me, I heard the tell-tale padding of flip-flops. I immediately cringed. I _knew_ someone would be home. My mind scrambled for excuses that might not end in trespassing charges.

"You two looking for the Gym Leader?" said a feminine voice.

…I couldn't think of anything to say.

"Yup!" Dina didn't have an issue though.

I turned to face a girl with long red (warning bells!) hair to her waist. Fortunately, she looked pretty normal, dressed in a white t-shirt, a black vest, and gray-brown shorts. She took a large bite out of the cookie she was holding.

"The Gym Leader is called Susan White, but you just missed her. She left for Fallarbor on urgent business, like, an hour ago."

_Fallarbor_, I thought. _Fallarbor_.

The girl hesitated. "Well she left a sort of…task for challengers who still want the badge and don't have to time to wait for her, but I strongly advise against it."

"We'll do it!" Dina exclaimed.

"What's the challenge?" I exclaimed over her.

The girl raised an eyebrow in mild interest. "You're seriously considering it? What if it's something strange like defeating the head honcho of the Slateport mob?"

"That's why I asked what the challenge was," I stressed.

"I have to get that badge somehow," said Dina.

This time the girl laughed. "I like you; I think this could get exciting. My name's Lydia. I'm a journalist. Originally, I was going to interview Susan about her duties as gym leader, but I think tagging along with you guys will be much more fun."

How did this go from seeking a gym battle to gaining another red-haired stalker freak? Of course, Dina didn't see that as an issue.

"Gym badge or not, we aren't going after a mob boss," I said firmly.

Lydia laughed again. "Don't worry, that's not the real challenge. I was just…exaggerating a bit. You want the challenge? Have it."

She held out a scrap of paper with crisp, structured handwriting across it.

_Challengers: Obtain badge from Lily._

_-Susan White_

"That's it? This'll be easy-peasy. I mean, I just have to find this Lily girl and get a badge? Done! My intelligence network is perfect!" Dina cried.

"This isn't going to be as easy as it sounds, is it?" I asked Lydia, who replied with a smug glance.

"No. No, it really isn't."

…

**-Slateport Gym F1-**

Turns out that finding Lily was not the hard part. Lily was Susan's daughter and could quite easily be found in her room, as Lydia so kindly informed us.

Lily was a young girl, around seven years old, with short black hair. She was lying across her bed atop plaid comforters. The walls of her room were decorated with framed pictures of the family – always with Lily in a dress and sandwiched between a tired-looking woman and her younger husband. Lily herself was reading a picture book about a Butterfree. She did not seem pleased to see us, looking up with a prominent scowl that made her look older than Dina.

"You again," she sneered distastefully at Lydia. "I already told you, Mom's not home."

Undeterred, Lydia smiled at me. "I'm just tagging along. You should be addressing these two. They're your challengers… Sorry, I didn't quite catch your names."

"I'm Dina, he's Fin, you're Lily," Dina plunged on before I could say anything. "Nice to meet you!"

"I-I'm really not a challenger. I mean, Dina's challenging. I'm tagging along too," I managed.

"I don't really care," said Lily bluntly. "The only way to get the badge is to win it. From me."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the gym! Where is the gym, by the way?" said Dina.

Lily sighed and sat up, pulling her legs out from under her. "You don't get it? You're not getting the badge. Okay?"

This statement flew over Dina's head. My little sister stared blankly at Lily, the dumb smile plastered to her face. We watched as she tried to compute Lily's words and ultimately gave up.

"Fin, what is she saying?" Dina asked me.

"Basically, she doesn't want to give you the badge so she's not going to battle you."

Dina considered this. "I don't get it. Why not?"

"Because you look stupid," Lily put in contemptuously.

"Fin, fix this," Dina said mildly. "I don't like it."

I was slowly beginning to get a headache from both girls. Well, all _three_ girls, if you counted Lydia the journalist, who had whipped out a notepad and was hurriedly jotting down notes while muttering to herself.

"Look, squirt, what do we have to do to get you to battle her?" I sighed.

Lily made a big show of heavily contemplating. "I'm getting a bit hungry. Make me lunch."

What.

"It…it's still morning, though."

Lily's smile was… well, she tried to look venomously sweet but only ended up grimacing. "Look, I thought you were here for the badge, right? I'm hungry. Make me lunch."

Boy, was I sure glad I hadn't stopped by the Slateport Gym on my journey. I turned to Dina, who was the one who wanted the badge, to tell her she might as well comply. She was ready for me with huge puppy dog eyes.

…Thirty minutes later, I found myself heading back to the gym from Slateport's street market, my arms full of groceries, grossly disappointed in my resolve. Really, why did I let her win all the time?

I walked into the living room and recalled my way to the kitchen. Dina was waiting for me at the dining table, although it was clear she would offer no effort to help. I couldn't decide if I wanted the help or if keeping Dina away from flames and sharp items was better.

I wasn't, say, Hoenn's best chef, but I thought I was a decent kitchen hand. I'd survived five years on my own(-ish), after all. The end result was some kind of stew I'd thrown together from a bunch of vegetables. I guess it wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't poisonous.

Lily took one sip and declared herself full.

I was really starting to get annoyed at this kid.

Next the devil child set us to weeding the garden. This equated to me pulling up weeds (and the occasional Oddish that would then spore me with something I really hoped wasn't deadly), Dina prancing around with her hysterical Bellsprout, and Lydia snapping photos.

"Ach!" Another Oddish. I threw it away from me before I could get a face full of spores. Dina tripped over it. Then delightedly realizing it was a Pokémon, she dragged the Oddish into her dance. The Grass Pokémon looked horrified.

Lily, who had edged her way into the garden, sniffed from behind me. I jumped at the sound.

"Please don't harm the Grass Pokémon. They have been bred to top quality, genetically and in combat." She shook her head. "Any injuries they sustain can result in serious consequences for you."

"Big talk from a runt," I growled, none too politely.

"Back to work, mutt," she said snidely. "Wouldn't want to jeopardize your sister's chances of getting a badge, would you?"

Abruptly, I stood, brushing the dirt off of my hands and knees. "Dina, we're leaving," I called.

This took Lily by surprise. "I-I don't remember saying you could leave. Or don't you want this badge?"

"Not if it means doing demeaning chores like this," I said shortly. "We'll head to Mauville. The Gym there will give us a decent battle if not you. I got all eight badges without yours, so Dina doesn't need it either."

Lily flinched. "But…but…"

"For someone who didn't want us here, you sure seem desperate to keep us from leaving," I observed.

"Fin, she's only a kid!" Dina ran to my side. "I think you're hurting her feelings."

"She's stronger than you think," I said, but even as the words left my mouth, I wasn't sure. Lily's stricken expression wasn't comforting. My anger vanished instantly, and guilt set in.

"Look, I shouldn't have—"

"I'll battle," Lily interrupted, looking uncomfortably at her shoes. She shifted. "I'll battle you, Dina." As she looked up at us, her face suddenly flushed red. "I mean, if you'll battle me."

Dina only looked mildly surprised at her offer. Then, out of the blue, she smiled. "Of course I'll battle you."

To be honest, I hadn't seen Dina smile that freely for a while now.

…

**-Slateport Gym F2-**

We didn't have an official judge, which was fine since we didn't have an official Gym Leader, Lily wasn't an official trainer, and…well, the circumstances were generally unofficial. Lily had led us through her house and up to the second floor where, lo and behold, a battlefield was set up, complete with the bleachers and the judge's platform.

"This'll be a one-on-one battle; the first person to have her Pokémon faint loses," declared Lily.

"Rookie trainer Dina of Dewford convinces reclusive Gym Leader to engage in battle; Dina's hopes and dreams depend on the outcome of this extraordinary gym battle!" muttered Lydia as she scribbled some more on her notepad.

"Uh, look, the battle…it's not that important, see…" I tried to say. And it wasn't Dina who convinced Lily to battle! It was, hm, let's see, _me_!

She cut me off with an unimpressed glare. "Look, the readers aren't going to be interested if I say it's just another cut-and-paste battle of a regular old trainer, 'kay?"

I balked. That…that wasn't really how the reporting world worked, was it?

"Oddish, I choose you!" came Lily's voice, followed shortly by Dina's.

"Go, Beany!"

Turning back to the battle, I debated the wisdom of my sister's choice. True, Beany didn't have a type disadvantage like Wae did, but I honestly questioned whether Dina could command her Grass Pokémon against Lily, who specialized in them. I supposed the Weather Ball would be a decent trump card (but seeing as we were indoors, it wasn't a game winner).

Please, please, Dina, please remember that Beany can use Weather Ball.

"Stun Spore, Oddish!" demanded Lily.

"Dodge, Beany!" Dina returned. "Then, Growth!"

Good call, I grudgingly admitted. I didn't know how Dina learned about that move; she sure hadn't used it against Mawile. I voiced my concerns.

Dina spared a moment to grin at me. "I was bored when you were shopping for groceries so I read some _Hoenn Earthly_ magazines," she explained. "I also learned that—"

"Dina, pay attention," I stressed. While she'd been distracted, Oddish had easily outmaneuvered Beany and was sapping his strength with Absorb.

"Oh, er, right. Beany, Vine Whip!" Dina cried.

The roots the Bellsprout used as feet elongated, shooting towards the preoccupied Oddish to ensnare it.

"An easy hit! Use Weather Ball, Beany!" Dina called, exuberant.

Lily showed her surprise only for a second before regaining her cool. "Lucky Chant, Oddish."

Without a weather condition to draw power from, Weather Ball amassed as a small, whirring sphere of white energy. At the same time, Oddish began muttering a string of dark, tribal spells that, while not summoning any concrete force, seemed to slow Beany's movements.

Weather Ball hit its mark, but Oddish took less damage than it should have from a direct hit. Lily also looked frustrated; Oddish had not gotten off completely unscathed. Bellsprout's Growth had ensured that.

"Giga Drain," Lily said. "Follow with Solar Beam!"

"Don't let that hit!" I yelled at Dina. "If those hit, you're finished."

"Razor Leaf, Wrap!" Dina countered, looking less worried than I would have been.

Oddish broke off its Giga Drain to focus on dodging Razor Leaf, jumping straight into Beany's vines. The Bellsprout kind of flailed about, tripping over his own feet, but managed to pull the Oddish in close. Oddish suddenly jeered, the leaves atop its head glowing white.

"Get out of there," I roared.

"Weather Ball, full power!" Dina said over me. She was calm.

Bellsprout again summoned the white ball, condensing his power to maximize impact. With Oddish still concentrating on Solar Beam, Weather Ball once again hit without too much trouble. Lucky Chant lessened its damage, but the Oddish was still sent flying out of Bellsprout's grip, across the gym, landing facedown right at Lily's feet.

Its leaves slowly faded back to a normal shade of green, but still, we watched it for any sign of animation. It twitched.

"Good job, Beany," acknowledged Dina, nodding to her Pokémon.

The Bellsprout turned around to face her, doing a strange jig that wasn't all too happy. Then he was knocked off his feet by a powerful beam of light, which faded to show Beany down for the count, still sizzling from the ruthless attack, and Oddish, trembling but very much conscious.

Its evil, victorious smirk was all I needed to see.

"Beany!" Dina cried, running to his side. The Bellsprout made a strange gurgling sound before fainting.

"Astounding!" said Lydia. "Seven-year-old prodigy blows rookie trainer out of the water! That's a headline right there."

"You did well, Beany. Have a nice, long rest," Dina said solemnly, returning her Bellsprout to his Poké Ball.

I walked up behind her. "You were awesome too, squirt," I said. And I meant it. I had underestimated her by a long shot. Who knew Dina would actually take the time to read and learn about her Pokémon? Where had this new Dina come from?

"Ah, um, congratulations," said Lily mildly. I started; I hadn't even noticed her standing there. She'd already recalled her Oddish and was now staring up at me a bit fearfully.

Crap, she was scared of me because I had yelled at her. She was only a kid! What the heck had I been thinking?

"Th-this is for you!" she cried out of the blue, throwing a small bottle cap at me. I barely caught it, spending a good ten seconds fumbling around (not unlike a certain Bellsprout we all know).

After a brief examination, I announced, "It's not actually a bottle cap."

"Ah, no," Lily said, turning red. "It's the Slateport gym badge. That's the Ivy Badge. Congratulations, Dina."

"Thank you, Lily," Dina accepted gracefully.

On the other hand, I was flabbergasted. "What, wait, but Dina lost."

Lily looked straight at me at last, surprise visible in her dark eyes. "I… No one ever said you had to win the _battle_ to get the badge."

"Yeah, Fin, you're so silly," Dina giggled. "Stop thinking so hard."

Had she really never said…

I thought back on our conversations. Even Susan White had never mentioned a battle in her notes.

"Obtain badge from Lily," I muttered. She was right. We had been the ones to demand a battle. I sank to the ground, wrapping my arms around my knees in the image of depression.

"Don't worry," said Lily. "You're not the first person to make that mistake. And at least you got the badge in the end. Quite a few trainers won the battle but didn't get a badge. I didn't like them. They yelled and threw things."

I turned to Dina. "There is no way you caught this before I did. Please tell me you did not know this beforehand."

Dina smiled. "You're so silly, Fin," she repeated. "I didn't want to say anything because you were just so excited."

"Th-that wasn't excitement, I assure you," I said.

In return, my sister only giggled.

…

**-Route 110-**

Just north of Slateport, the usual serenity was interrupted by a distant storm of hoof beats that were rapidly approaching. The trainers stopped battling in bewilderment, and people in nearby neighborhoods poked their heads out in search of a stampede. One trainer, although not engaged in combat, found his afternoon nap disrupted by the sound. Sighing, he got to his feet, stretched (revealing his height of just above six feet), before hunching back over to hide this.

He looked over his shoulder where a throng of trainers and travelers were gathering to stare at the skyline. By now, the hoof beats had grown so near that he could feel the ground vibrating through his shoes. The trainer grimaced and began walking toward Slateport in search of a real bed.

Just then, six harnessed Rapidash appeared in the horizon followed closely by the white carriage they were pulling. The Rapidash surged forward, reaching the crowd of spectators much sooner than expected. People lunged away to avoid being trampled. The carriage was thrown around wildly, its old-fashioned wheels ill-suited for the rocky terrain. The Rapidash slowed before halting, but momentum kept the carriage moving until it bumped into the last Rapidash's rear.

Giovanni Cliff stared disbelievingly at the new obstacle that had just materialized between him and Slateport City.

The door to the carriage rattled as if someone was trying to open it from the inside. After a minute of futile shaking, it burst open from a well-aimed kick. Then, as if he hadn't tried to break down his own door, the carriage's passenger stepped down from his ride and surveyed his surroundings.

It didn't take an idiot to see that this newcomer was…less than ordinary. Even if his brown hair didn't have random splotches of pink in it (like the outcome of a bad self-dye job), he was also wearing a golden-rimmed white uniform (not unlike the design of his carriage). He accessorized this with a silver crown and the broken half of a pair of handcuffs around his right wrist. Well, that and he had just emerged from a carriage. Who rode carriages in this day and age?

"Oh, hello," the strange man said to the nearest person. "What a lovely morning this is. What's your name?"

"Um, it's afternoon," Gio said hesitantly.

"Nice to meet you, Afternoon," continued the freak. "My name's Tuesday. It's nice to – never mind, I think I already said that." He looked puzzled to realize this.

Gio stared some more. Usually, he considered himself a roll-with-the-punches kind of guy, but honestly? This guy was really stupid. "Sure. Okay. I'm just gonna…go…now."

He tried to edge his way around the spectacle, but the lead Rapidash reached out and tried to bite him. Tuesday smiled dimly and attempted to console his Pokémon.

"Aw, it's okay, Steed One. There, there," he cooed. The Rapidash snorted in his face and snapped at him as well.

Gio tried again to escape, opting to back away and hopefully let the crowd hide him. Unfortunately, Tuesday noticed and stopped him with sharp bark. "Afternoon!"

Gio stopped, forgetting to slouch for a second. He quickly caught himself and answered with a lethargic, "What?"

"I've got a friend who's in a spot of trouble right now." There was a predatory gleam in Tuesday's honey brown eyes that belied his previous foolishness. "He could use a little hand. Y'know, on the off chance you run into him."

Warning bells were ringing left and right in Gio's head, but he kept his head. "Yeah, whatever," he said. He had no intention of helping creepy strangers, but whatever it took to get this guy to leave him alone…

"His name's Fin. Fin Commons? I'd…keep my eye on the kid if I were you," Tuesday commented offhandedly.

"Fin Commons," Gio repeated. Right. What were the chances of running into this "Fin" freak anyways? "Got it." The crowd parted for him as he made his way through it. When he reached the end of the Route, he could still feel Tuesday's gaze on the back of his neck, but when he turned around, the pink-haired man had already vanished inside his carriage.

…what had just happened? Gio sighed.

"Becoming a trainer was the worst decision of my life…" he muttered exasperatedly.

…

**-Tuesday's Carriage-**

Back inside the carriage, Tuesday settled back into his seat, satisfied. "I think we'll head back to Mauville. I have a feeling that's the next hotspot," he said, more to himself than to his companion.

"Awfully desperate today, aren't you, Majesty?" purred Violet Hamilton, adjusting the straps of her black tank top. "I mean, random guy on the road, so you pop out and spring Fin Commons onto him? What's up?"

The carriage began to move, slowly at first (although both Violet and Tuesday still felt every single bump in the road) before picking up speed.

"Giovanni Cliff, age sixteen, born in Fuchsia City; he's defeated Cerulean's gym, as well as Viridian's, Cinnabar's, and Celadon's," Tuesday recited. He poked at his uneven bangs. Next time he tried to cut it, he'd probably try using a mirror.

Violet scoffed, shaking her head to reveal the purple highlights in her black hair. "Four badges. That's hardly…"

"It's fine if he's not up to it," Tuesday said. "Vic hasn't pulled out the big guns yet. I'm mainly just interested in how this will play out."

"The reason you keep losing is because you always wait for Victoria to make the first move. You'd think you would have learned by now? After all, this time, we might not be so lucky," Violet pointed out. "You're stronger than her. And thanks to Aisha, you know Commons is working for her. Just crush him."

Tuesday threw back his head and laughed. "Vi, why so astute? You're playing my secretary with a model-esque physique, remember?"

Violet blushed dark red. "Th-that's ridiculous. B-besides, you don't have to be smart to see that you could easily stop Victoria now. Even Aisha and Marceau could have finished her, and they were right in the vicinity a couple days ago."

She watched him fiddle absentmindedly with the handcuff linked to his wrist. It wasn't a subconscious action, she knew. Everything Tuesday did, he did with a purpose.

"Right now, our main concern isn't Vic. It's Fin, Vi." Tuesday yawned. "I haven't decided how to handle him yet. He's a smart lad; it'd be a shame to end things to soon. Although I suspect he isn't quite as fond of me."

Violet watched him for a moment. "Your Majesty? You know what you're doing?"

"Of course."

The carriage was beginning to get a bit uncomfortable, bouncing longer and harder. Crossing her long legs suggestively, Violet relaxed and stretched out on her bench. Tuesday watched from the other side.

"Vi?"

"Yes?"

"How do you suppose a Bellsprout can stand and support its head with those flimsy little legs?"

"…"

Violet sighed. Maybe even geniuses had their moments.

…

**-Slateport City-**

We ended up spending the rest of the day at the gym, but we declined staying for the night (read: Dina and Lydia saw nothing wrong with sleeping in a strange house when the house's owner was MIA, but I put my fist down). I discovered that, when she was calling you her dog or bossing you around, Lily was a pretty cute girl.

The afternoon mainly consisted of Lydia dragging us around to various Slateport attractions, Dina going along whole-heartedly with everything she said, and Lily following me, wide-eyed. I felt guilty as Lily placed the CLOSED sign on the gym doors. Then I remembered what her gym challenge was and figured we probably did some trainers a favor.

"Right, we're going to head out now, Lily," I said. "I'm pretty sure the Pokémon Center will let us stay there."

"Take care of yourself!" Dina called.

"Slateport Gym Leader leaves small child unattended at home; evidence of neglect?" speculated Lydia, pulling out her handy-dandy notepad.

Lily waved back ferociously, her face flushed. "Bye, Dina! When I grow up and go on a journey, I'll find you and we'll have a real battle!"

"Deal," Dina replied.

"And then," Lily plowed on, "then I'll marry Fin!"

… "_What?_"

**Isn't it lonely without all the crazies? Although I suppose we got a new one, since Tuesday's kind of new. He's already been mentioned like a billion times though. Also a load of new OCs, a new badge, and Fin got a girlfriend! Well, kinda. And it only took like a year.**

**I'm sorry, please don't hurt me. ;_;**

**That being said, we haven't seen the last of any of the characters I've used up to now (with the exception being, probably, Mister Briney…). We've met both new traveling companions in this chapter, and it's probably not too difficult to guess who they are.**

**Lastly, a note more to myself than you guys, I will probably start fiddling with this new-fangled story cover feature on FFN…**

**Useless Fact: Lily White is a not-so-subtle play off of white lily. Susan White is a not-so-good play off of black-eyed susans. Incidentally, Lily's dad's name is Heath White, which is a play off of white heather.**

**Credits**

**Magnus Carleton belongs to Maecenas**

**Jem Hawthorne belongs to ShadowDragoon32**

**Aisha Keyre belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow**

**Marceau Morin belongs to Megg Shizuka**

**Lydia Wist belongs to Windy Rain**

**Violet Hamilton belongs to Kittiled**

**Giovanni Cliff belongs to Ano-chan**

**Nurse Joy belongs to Nintendo**

**Dina, Fin, Susan and Lily White, and Tuesday belong to yours truly**


	8. Le Feu de la Bataille

**Disclaimer: I'm way too lazy to come up with a funny one.**

**Chapter Eight: The Fire of Battle**

**-Route 110-**

"Tabitha," the red-haired woman said, perched on her tree branch as if she were sitting upon a throne. The ex-Team Magma admin looked up from his binoculars. "I'll have your report now."

Tabitha nodded from a different branch. They'd taken shelter in this tree not long before the golden-rimmed carriage had made its dramatic appearance on Route 110. Neither was a stranger to the spectacle, having followed it from Fallarbor. "Target Giovanni Cliff appears to have attracted…_His_ attention. As planned."

The girl smiled into the back of her hand, cocking her head deviously so that her bangs fell into her indigo eyes. "Excellent," she lilted. "Not that I expected any differently. Oh, the little _King_…" Here her upper lip curled into a sneer. "His reputation exceeds him. Our darling Tuesday isn't as brilliant as they think he is. How predictable. How _boring_."

"We didn't expect him to withdraw Aisha Keyre and Marceau Morin from Fin's side, though," Tabitha volunteered. True, they'd expected the girl and boy – Tuesday's mutts – to keep guard on the siblings, but it hardly put a damper on future plans. Tabitha smirked.

"Point," his mistress conceded. "Although I had already considered he'd choose to post guards around Hoenn after what you stirred up in Fallarbor. Who did he send to play clean up?"

Tabitha gave a dark chuckle. "The two professors, Magnus Carleton and Jeremy Hawthorne. Supposedly two influential figures in their field; geniuses, although I suspect what they'll find when they reach Fallarbor will be…_startling_. At the very least, they'll be preoccupied for a while."

Below them, in Route 110, the crowd was beginning to disperse as it became evident that nothing would follow the carriage's departure.

The girl crossed her legs as she watched with idle interest. "Awfully large risk this king has taken, assuming Cliff will even ever meet our dear Fin."

"I've taken the liberty in looking up Giovanni Cliff's file," said Tabitha. "He has absolutely nothing going for him. His few accomplishments are a result of luck and circumstance."

"How often I've heard that," the girl sighed. "Of course, it was _mis_fortune that defeated Fin during the Ever Grande Conference. I shouldn't…" A sadistic grin painted its way onto the girl's delicate features. "Oh, but I want to. This meeting… Our King probably thought I'd be interested."

"Ma'am?" Tabitha asked. "Our next course of action?"

"I don't care what you do. Ensure dear Fin runs into Giovanni Cliff," the girl commanded. She waited until Tabitha confirmed his orders and called his Golbat to fly him away; when she was sure she was alone, the girl leapt down from the tree.

"Don't worry, dear Tuesday," Victoria smiled, her eyes darkening. "I'll play. I'll play right into your little game, but don't think for a second I'll let you win."

Behind her, a lone Vibrava took to the skies – north, toward Mauville.

…

**-Route 110-**

I don't know why I just assumed that we'd part ways the next morning – Dina and I off toward the nearest gym in Mauville, and Lydia the journalist off to pursue more exaggeratedly awesome headlines. Apparently she thought we'd be her next bestseller (or whatever journalists did these days), because Lydia Wist was still tailing us.

"Are you sure you never felt abandoned after your brother left you, leading you to run away on a journey to become the best trainer ever?" she questioned Dina, her omnipresent notepad in hand. "Or that you escaped your tragic domestic life by studying battle strategy intensely, contributing to your prodigious debut against the Slateport gym leader?"

I refrained from commenting that anyone who watched Dina battle could see that the only studying she'd ever done was watching old journey films, or that Slateport hadn't been her debut and the battle had been anything but prodigious, or that technically Lily was only the gym leader's daughter. The gleam in Lydia's sunset eyes told me that anything I said would be distorted in her mind and used against me.

"No, I'm sure," Dina said.

Lydia looked a bit too crestfallen that her history was pretty spotless when it came to tragic. Since she wasn't getting good material from Dina, Lydia turned to me with an evil smile.

"Fin," she purred. I stared at her, mildly horrified. I was probably developing a deep fear of redheads. It seemed that all of them were psychotic. "You used to be a trainer, right?"

"Right," I agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Once upon a time."

"Were you any good?" she pressed.

"The best!" Dina chimed in. "Fin made it all the way to the Ever Grande Conference. He was fantastic!"

Lydia looked surprised and impressed. It was clear she hadn't expected me to be a conference veteran, especially since she'd just watched me get bossed around by a small child just yesterday. I didn't blame her. I wasn't proud of either of those things.

"Really? Did you rank? How high?" Now her questions took a more predictable turn.

Dina fell quiet, not willing to offer any further praise. Of course, there wasn't much praise to offer now. "I lost," I said. I hoped I managed to keep the bitterness out of my tone. It wasn't their faults that I hadn't been strong enough to win. "I was eliminated in the preliminaries."

It was a battle I'd never forget, burned into my memory and history forever.

Surprisingly, Lydia didn't push the topic for scandals. She probably sensed that it was a touchy topic for me. Was that pity? Should I be offended?

Then she said in a thoughtful voice, "Actually, I thought your name sounded familiar. I think I saw you on one of the conference rosters."

I scoffed. No one remembers the names of the losers – not if the losers lost as pathetically and early as I had. I wasn't exaggerating. Later, I'd heard an audience describe it as less a battle and more a slaughter. Thoroughly trounced and humiliated – that was me. "You don't have to pretend; it was years ago. I'm pretty much over it."

"No, no," Lydia said, "I really do remember. Um, I think it was in one of the articles…" She trailed off, scouring her brain for the relevant details. It clicked and she practically jumped in delight as she remembered. "Oh my gosh! Fin Commons! _Tuesday King_!"

I froze as everything from that day – that battle – crashed over me like a wave for the five billionth time. I felt hollow, but I didn't interrupt as Lydia plowed on.

"It made the front page and everything! Four years ago, sixteen year old Tuesday King, first time challenger, swept the floor with the Ever Grande Conference. They called him a prodigy! He was renowned for—"

"His complete victories despite overwhelming odds against him," I broke in through gritted teeth. "I know."

Lydia paused to look me over, realization dawning now that her enthusiasm had broken. "And the first person who lost to him was…"

"Fin Commons." I started. This time, I hadn't said anything, and that voice…

Dina tilted her head and stared at me with an unreadable expression. Then she offered a small, world-weary smile as she turned to face the road. "I watched that battle with Mom and Dad, you know," my sister said, quiet.

But no, I hadn't known. I hadn't known because Dina had never once showed a special interest in any of my battles. I stopped to dwell on this fact; it felt so foreign to realize that Dina hadn't always hero-worshipped me. The more I thought about it, though, the surer I was. As a child, Dina had looked up to me as a brother only, and she'd never been all that excited about being a trainer.

When had that changed?

Suddenly, the world was rocked by a large explosion. A flock of Taillow took flight in alarm, scattered but all heading vaguely north. The scarce trainers present on the route gave shouts of alarm, and somewhere behind us in Slateport, several sirens set off. None of this prevented the second explosion, louder and infinitely closer.

"What was that?" I demanded, turning around to face the port city. One of the larger buildings had smoke erupting from its second story – the floors above that were completely demolished.

"Run!" snapped one man as he fled from the wreckage. He ran past us and headed west, toward the river, while we stood and watched him in shock. Although he looked annoyed, the man seemed to decide that if we wouldn't cooperate, he'd leave us behind. The other trainers had dispersed with his yell.

Then a hover copter reminiscent of a UFO darted overhead, zeroing in on the man's silhouette. It was composed of three pods: the central pod which housed the controls and the controller, and two lesser pods which stored the engines and rotary systems. I recovered first, recognizing both the device and its controller.

"Tabitha," I snarled to myself. His appearance would make that UFO a Team Aqua relic – the mini-copter Archie himself used. How Tabitha, a former Team Magma member, acquired such a thing, I had no idea. I knew he was with Vic, though, and that was enough for me.

"You mean that guy Lute and Marceau were talking about?" Dina asked me. Lydia ignored us, instead pulling out a camera and snapping some pictures and scribbling notes down on her hand.

Tabitha easily caught up with the man – who was actually less of a man and more of a tall teenager, now that I got a better look. The bottom of the mini-copter opened up to drop three bombs, each exploding into a mass of gray smoke upon contact with the ground. His path blocked by the smog, the guy turned around and ran straight towards us.

The mini-copter paused in its pursuit as it approached us. I ushered Dina and Lydia behind me, taking the typical trainer stance, hand on a warm Poké Ball. I felt Mawile's body heat reassuring me through the plastic surface. The man took a defensive position behind me, slouching now that he wasn't under attack. His dark brown hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his face, but he seemed to be watching me.

The central pod of the mini-copter suddenly opened up, allowing Tabitha to stand from his seat. "Hello, Fin," he said amiably, a ridiculous feat as he waved down at me from a flying contraption fifteen feet in the air. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Fin?" repeated the dark-haired guy, peering at me in disbelief. "Like, Fin Commons?"

…the last time someone had known my name without my telling them had been when I'd met the professors. As I had told myself then, nothing good could come of strangers knowing my name.

Unfortunately, Tabitha was not about to take being ignored lightly. His mini-copter dropped to hover at face level, although since he was standing, I still had to look up to talk to him. The wind generated by the rotors blew into my face, and I brought an arm up to shield my eyes.

"You beat me when we last met," he continued conversationally. "That's the only reason I let you leave. You caused a lot of problems; you know that, right?"

I growled. "Leave us alone. I'm not in the mood for niceties. In case you didn't realize from the thrashing I gave you, I don't want anything to do with you or…or V—that _girl_."

"No niceties? Have it your way!" Tabitha cried, and two beams of red light shot toward the grown. A Crobat emerged from one, fluttering its wings rapidly and jeering down at us; the other beam faded to reveal a Torkoal pawing the ground.

"Mawile!" I summoned, throwing her Poké Ball into the air. My friend appeared in front of me while I sized up her opponents. I could tell she outclassed Tabitha's Pokémon in power and skill, but it was two-on-one, and Torkoal had a type advantage. It'd be a hard battle; last time, Tabitha had only used two Golbats. I didn't know what his Torkoal could do.

The sound of another Poké Ball opening startled me almost as much as the sight of a Nidoking materializing beside Mawile. The guy stepped up beside me, eyes (or what I could see of them through his bangs) intent on Tabitha.

"Name's Gio," he grunted, slicking his hair back and out of his face. "I suppose I'll…have to fight with you on this one."

I looked him up and down, trying to discern if he'd be any help in this battle. Sure, I'd destroyed Tabitha's team last time, but that didn't mean the ex-admin was anything to laugh at. Dressed simply in jeans and a fleece overcoat, Gio wasn't an impressive sight. Then again, it was a _Nidoking_ he was sending into battle…

"Suppose you'll have to," I told him. He muttered his resignation, and our Pokémon braced themselves for battle.

"Done yet?" asked Tabitha lazily. He'd assumed a lounging position in his seat to showcase his apathy. "Good. Torkoal, Flamethrower on the Mawile."

"Iron D—" I began, but Mawile cut me off with a meaningful look towards Gio. She wanted to see how he'd tackle a tag battle. There were several strategies that could be used in a tag battle, and which one a trainer chose could give a deep insight into his personality.

"Intercept with Take Down," Gio commanded. "Follow with Mega Horn!"

"Air Cutter," Tabitha said with a firm nod, as if he'd expected such a counter. When Torkoal launched a torrent of fire at Mawile, Nidoking charged towards the attack. Take Down would have shielded him from the brunt of the damage, along with his Ground-type resistance, but just then Crobat swooped down and shot a series of air blades into Nidoking's face. The large Pokémon veered off course, arms raised to protect his face from further damage. Flamethrower broke through and hit Mawile, who winced as she rose. The fire had done its job – scorch marks laced her front – but my Mawile was too strong to be taken down by one hit.

"Want to attack now?" I commented offhandedly as Nidoking struggled, trying to nail Crobat with his horn. The bat Pokémon danced circles in the air around him.

Mawile grinned with both mouths, one delicate, the other bloodthirsty. "Mah," she rumbled, glaring at the Torkoal. If Tabitha was dead set in pitting Torkoal against Mawile, I'd simply have to show him that fire wasn't something that could stop us.

"Faint Attack, then Crunch," I said, sparing a glance at Nidoking. The Poison-type had abandoned Mega Horn in favor of Earth Power and was launching large chunks of the ground at Crobat.

Gio was standing his ground, and though the battle wasn't necessarily in his favor, he concealed any worries and instead focused on combing through his attack repertoire.

"Fire Spin, followed by Lava Plume!" Tabitha cried. "Crobat, Supersonic and Haze."

Mawile sprinted at Torkoal but found her path blocked by a spiral of red flame; smirking, she vanished and reappeared behind Torkoal. The heat of the inferno around them weakened her, but the fire in her eyes prevailed. Her second mouth reached out and clamped around Torkoal. The turtle chose that moment to switch techniques, quelling the Fire Spin and retreating into its shell.

Meanwhile, Crobat opened its mouth to emit some sort of screeching sound; it hurt my ears to listen to, and Nidoking stopped in his tracks, staring vacantly at a spot over Crobat's left wing.

Gio cursed, calling for another Earth Power, but the remnants of Nidoking's previous attack fell useless at its feet. Crobat cackled and breathed out a cold, white mist that whipped through the area, obscuring our perception of the battle. I could see faint shadows through the Haze that indicated the positions of our Pokémon and could only guess as to which shadow as which.

The rotors on Tabitha's mini-copter began to sound more distant, and I realized he was gaining altitude so his engine didn't blow the Haze away. I looked up, searching for him. Above us, I could make out a small red light scanning over the battlefield, but it didn't appear to do any harm.

He had some sort of visor, I realized, that allowed him to see through the Haze. That shifted the battle hugely in his favor.

"We're going to lose," I muttered, squinting to try and spot Mawile. Nidoking and Crobat were easy to find, thanks to the former's size and the latter's wings. There were two silhouettes locked in close combat to their left. I could make out Mawile's mouth refusing to let go to her prey when Torkoal's shape began glowing red.

"Get out of there, Mawile!" I roared, but Torkoal's shell had evidently become too hot to hold on to. Mawile flung the Pokémon away from her just as fire tore out of its shell in a frightening Lava Plume. A wave of flames hit Mawile anyway; she buckled under the attack but remained conscious.

"C'mon, Nidoking, snap out of it!" Gio was urging his Pokémon, but Nidoking didn't react to his words. Crobat kept firing long-ranged attacks at him even without Tabitha's orders, lingering just outside the Poison-type's reach.

I heard the rotors of Tabitha's mini-copter from above as he descended, the ghost of a victorious smirk on his face. "Is that all you have, dear Fin?" he asked, taking a page from Vic's book because he knew I hated the pet names. "Here I was, thinking maybe you'd improved some behind my back, but no. Victoria was right; you're still weak. And you always will be."

I clenched my fists and glared up at him, the Haze finally fanned away by the combined efforts of the mini-copter and Crobat's wings. Mawile was on her knees, in pain, and Nidoking was just beginning to shake away his stupor.

"Tabitha…" I muttered, refusing to look at him. Instead I studied the battle, trying to find some hole I could slip through to win.

"You can't win," Tabitha said simply. "These Pokémon have undertaken a thorough…training regimen." That meant Vic had brainwashed them. Although she was insane, even I had to admit the girl was a genius with Pokémon. Somehow the Pokémon she trained managed to surpass the limitations of their species; not even…_Tuesday King_ could match her prowess.

I slumped. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this.

"Overheat," Tabitha said so softly that I almost thought his Pokémon couldn't hear him. "Crobat, use Hyper Beam."

I watched in icy anticipation as Mawile was blown off of her feet, crumpling as she hit the ground again. Likewise, Nidoking disappeared in Crobat's Hyper Beam, golden light enveloping his form. The Pokémon fell face-first into the dirt and didn't move again.

"Tch." Gio looked annoyed at the turn of events as he returned Nidoking to his Poké Ball. To his credit, he didn't ask about my exchange with Tabitha. He either didn't care or he didn't think it would affect the outcome of the battle. "I've got a Snorlax and a Shellder," he said. Now that one of his Pokémon was down for the count, his hair had fallen back into his face, and he looked detached once more. "Plan to continue this fight?"

I looked down at my belt where I had one more Pokémon in reserve. I sighed and returned Mawile, patting her Ball absentmindedly. "Don't worry now," I said, feeling a cold ball of rock forming in my chest. "I've got this. Take care of them."

I nodded toward Lydia and Dina, who had sat this battle out and were now looking at me, something akin to shock in their faces. Gio also paused before shrugging. He figured I must have my reasons, and boy, did I…

The Poké Ball hung heavy at my waist, colder than the Haze and the feeling in my heart. I didn't want to do this, but fight fire with fire. Fight Vic with…

"Let's get this over with," I said dully, pushing the clasp on Camerupt's Poké Ball. It appeared by my side without expression, as always. Tabitha's surprise was visible on his face.

"Th-that thing…" He flinched as if seeing Camerupt physically hurt him. "How did you…?"

I sneered, although not with mirth. "Did Vic not tell you?" It wasn't in my nature to mock people. I wasn't sure what had come over me, but at the moment, I wanted nothing more than to show Tabitha I wasn't one to be toyed with. I had been the major player in the Apocalypse Project for a reason. Vic had chosen me, not him. "I suppose she didn't see any reason to. Vic gave it back to me. It seems she still favors me over you, even after everything I've done."

"Shut up!" Tabitha seethed. "That's a lie. You know absolutely nothing, Fin Commons! Skull Bash, Torkoal! Use Cross Poison, Crobat!"

"Punish them," I called, lowering my voice. I didn't want Dina to hear me like this, even though I knew she would. "No mercy."

Camerupt said nothing but kept watching its two opponents. Torkoal withdrew into its shell, hurtling toward Camerupt like a bullet. Crobat followed suit, glowing violet as it arranged its wings into an X formation.

"Now," I said.

Camerupt lowered its head and met the Skull Bash head on; Torkoal's shell slid up its face, and Camerupt abruptly shoved it toward the incoming Crobat. Torkoal was sent flying into the Cross Poison, and the two Pokémon landed in pile, Torkoal atop Crobat.

"Fissure," I commanded. The stone in my chest disappeared with a flare of pain. How I hated this technique, but if times called for it…

The ground opened up beneath Crobat and Torkoal; both Pokémon were too startled to react quickly. It was over before I could blink. Betrayed by the constant under their feet, Tabitha's Pokémon slumped over, utterly defeated.

I tried to ignore Dina's scrutiny on the back of my head.

Tabitha recalled his Pokémon without looking at them; since they'd lost, I expected they'd be receiving some sort of punishment to discourage the habit. Vic's program. Ruthless, but it'd worked on Camerupt.

I returned it as well without a word of thanks. Camerupt didn't need one.

"Don't get cocky," Tabitha ground out through his teeth. "This victory meant nothing."

"I know," I said. "You lost again. Nothing has changed since before."

"You understand…_nothing_," Tabitha hissed, repeating his earlier words. "Nothing of ambition, of power, of consequences. Don't you dare—"

I cut in. "I know. I understand nothing of the Apocalypse Project. I don't understand your reasons for it, and I don't want to. It's a nightmare to me. That's all it is. I don't care about your beloved Project, so don't suggest that I do!"

…I would have said more, but just then, a warm hand touched my arm. I turned to see Dina's soft face.

"That's enough, Fin," she said. "That's enough."

Tabitha composed himself, but not without sending me a venomous glower. "No matter; I accomplished the mission objective anyway. I expect to be seeing more of you, Fin Commons."

He flew away. It was only Dina's support that restrained me from ordering Camerupt after him.

"You're really Fin Commons, huh?" spoke up Gio.

"I'm Dina Commons!" Dina volunteered eagerly, waving her hand in the air. "I'm his sister."

"Unfortunately," I muttered. Her voice lifted weights off of my back. Dina playfully slapped my back. I raised my eyebrow at her antics. "How did you know my name, may I ask?"

Gio shrugged, flicking the hair out of his eyes so he could look at me. "Some guy came up to me yesterday and asked me about you."

"Some guy?" I asked.

Gio frowned. "He was really weird. He had pink hair. And a carriage."

This guy was certainly sounding strange. Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised. It seemed that everyone I dealt with these days was crazy.

"And he called himself Tuesday," he added.

I fell on my face. I don't know how it happened. One second, I was walking along with the rest of them; then at the T-word, I found myself inexplicably with my face in the grass.

"Fin, are you okay?" Dina said, worried.

"I hate my life," I grumbled through a mouthful of dirt. I spat it out and dragged myself to my feet. Lydia was taking pictures. I looked upward and asked every Pokémon god I knew to smite me now.

I faced Gio, who was trying to keep his face straight. It was very apparent that he thought we were all nutcases.

Who could blame the fellow?

"You don't have to stick around," I told him. "Just pretend you never met us, and we won't say a word otherwise."

Of course, then Dina butt in with a, "Are you headed to Mauville? You should come with us! I mean, it couldn't hurt, could it?"

"No, I was just going to…" Gio tried to say, but Lydia cut him off, looking up from her notepad and camera.

"Oh, possibly some sort of avoidant personality disorder," Lydia mused. "Maybe a bad history with traveling companions? Is that why you adamantly refuse to make new friends?"

A normal person would have gaped at her, but Gio's shock was shown only through a brief period of silence. Lydia and Dina continued to bully him until he caved, which didn't take long. I could tell he only wanted to get the girls off his back.

"I'm Fin," I said eventually. "But you already know that."

"And I'm Dina!" my sister said again with just as much enthusiasm.

"Lydia Wist, journalist extraordinaire," said Lydia, twirling her pencil through a strand of red hair.

Gio regarded us with caution. "Giovanni Cliff," he eventually introduced himself formally. "Just Gio will do."

**Wait, what? A Fin update **_**twice**_** in the same month? Even I don't know how that happened.**

**So Fin now has a cool Wae cover. :3 Originally I wanted to make him smaller and include Mawile, but drawing Mawile on Paint is a bad idea for the technologically challenged. Plus, Wae's more representative of the craziness, methinks.**

**I really had no idea what to call Archie's/Tabitha's flying thing, but Bulba and Serebii both referred to it as a mini-copter. Regardless, it's that thing Archie used in The Scuffle of Legends, which is episode 372 or something. **

**I'm sorry if I've offended any redheads in the making of this story. I didn't plan for it. It's just that a bunch of OCs happen to be redheads who happen to be weird/crazy and Fin just happens to be in the general vicinity. And my sense of humor happens to be really horrible and it happened to find the redhead thing really funny. /shot**

**Random fact (since people seem to be interested in Pokémon Fin had in the past): Fin has trained a Pokémon of every type except Fighting. When he challenged Ever Grande, he had a total of nine Pokémon. Currently, his Pokémon are either with his parents in Dewford or training with Brawly. Only two, excluding Mawile, have a planned appearance in this fic.**

**Credits**

**Giovanni Cliff belongs to Ano-chan**

**Aisha Keyre belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow**

**Marceau Morin belongs to Megg Shizuka**

**Magnus Jasper Carleton belongs to Maecenas**

**Jeremy Hawthorne belongs to Shadowdragoon32**

**Lydia Wist belongs to Windy Rain**

**Tabitha belongs to Nintendo**

**Tuesday, Vic, Dina, Fin, and Lily belong to me**


	9. Le Festival de Création

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. **

**Chapter 9: The Festival of Creation**

**-Mauville City-**

We were greeted by a rainbow of balloons and streamers; banners also adorned the streets of Mauville, and every ten seconds or so, a cyclist would come riding past us, throwing confetti behind him. It seemed as if the entire town was outside partaking in the festivities. Crowds of people mingled with performers and street vendors, and children ran around visiting game stalls where they could win prizes.

"I think we should convince Mom and Dad to move here. This looks like a fantastic place to live!" Dina exclaimed, glowing with the prospect of playing here every day.

"Forget it, squirt," I said. "It's not usually like this anyway." I'd been to Mauville when I was collecting badges, and it wasn't an out of the ordinary city. Well, not this much, anyway.

"The Creation Festival," Gio recited from behind me. I had forgotten that he was there, and his gruff voice startled me. Dina's eyebrows shot up as she looked back to stare at him. Gio pointed ahead of us at a garish yellow flag, where, true to his word, THE CREATION FESTIVAL was emblazoned in crimson.

"The Creation Festival," Lydia mused, suddenly beside me, and again I jumped. "I've heard of this. It's a holiday that celebrates the creation of the world and the associated deity Pokémon: Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus. Of course, you rarely see people celebrating it outside of Sinnoh, so I never thought I would ever get to see it!"

"The Creation Festival," Dina said in a breathy voice. I looked over to see her face light up with excitement. "Sounds cool! And it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate it… Let's take the day off and have fun!"

"Thought you wanted to challenge the gym leader right away," grunted Gio. He was beginning to grow a little more sociable, but not by much. Last night, I had told him he could leave if he wanted to, but in the morning he was still with us. Maybe he didn't hate us? Anyhow, his patience was remarkable when dealing with Dina; others, including me, snapped after too much exposure to her never-ending energy, but Gio was content tagging along.

"I changed my mind," my sister said, as if this was acceptable after she had narrated at least twenty possible variations of her battle with the Mauville gym leader, each ending with a dramatic dust cloud obscuring the battlefield to make it difficult to discern the victor. Of course, Dina always won, which became predictable after the third story.

Unfortunately, Gio just shrugged his shoulders and accepted this. Silence. Usually Lydia would chime in with an overly analytical, none-too-accurate report right about now, but… I waited a few more seconds, but the red-haired reporter remained silent.

"Lydia?" I asked, turning to face her. She was nowhere to be seen. I looked around, trying to locate the long red hair that, I hated to admit, I'd grown a little used to. While there were many redheads, none of them struck me as familiar; I couldn't decide whether this was a good or a bad thing.

"She left a while ago," Gio informed me helpfully. "Dunno where, though."

I involuntarily clenched my fists as different scenarios of things-gone-horribly-wrong flashed through my mind. Lydia could be anywhere. Her overactive imagination might get her arrested for harassment! What if she offended some thug and got hurt? Maybe some gangster - I was sure Mauville had them somewhere - had a deeply traumatic ordeal involving a red-haired reporter in his youth and had hidden a deep grudge against the press ever since, only to emerge years later in a horrific violent display of aggression!

…what was I thinking? I shuddered as I erased that last soliloquy from my memory. Lydia was rubbing off on me in the worst ways possible.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I forced out through gritted teeth, trying to make my voice sound normal.

Again, Gio shrugged. "Figured it was her own business. Going to the bathroom or something."

"What if she's lost?" Dina gasped. "Fin, we have to find her! She must be so scared!"

One of these days, I was going to disappear and let Dina deal with all these problems and crazy people. She looked up at me with beseeching eyes, a small pout gracing her lips, and I sighed as I gave in.

"Fine, let's go. Which direction did she go off in, Gio?"

Gio raised an eyebrow but he nodded at a road decorated with flashing lights and signs. "Thought you of all people'd be happy she was gone."

I set off down the path he'd pointed out, a pleased Dina at my heels. Gio followed soon after, his hands in his pocket, looking quite shady with his hair falling over his eyes. I let my eyes linger for a little more, wondering whether his bad posture hurt his back. Every time I saw him, he was always slouched over like he was trying to hide from something.

He cocked his head when he realized I was staring.

"You must not know me very well then," I said resolutely. Gio blinked, but didn't pursue the conversation.

Dina missed this exchange because she had ran ahead to marvel at the new sights. Unlike the previous street, which had been colorful but traditional, this new road was modern and edgy. A purple casino-like building immediately drew my eye, as it was decorated like a nightclub. Beside it, more than a little overshadowed but not less impressive, was a tall yellow building inscribed with the official Pokémon League insignia.

"Fin, it's the gym!" cried Dina. "Let's go inside!"

"We're looking for Lydia," I reminded her gently. "Besides, weren't you the one who was worried about her?"

Dina thought about this. "Well…I'm thinking maybe I overreacted and she's just interviewing some famous person she ran into on the street."

"Liar," I muttered. "You just lost interest."

"Nuh-uh," said Dina. "It's just that Lydia can take care of herself. You know how she is, she probably found something exciting to write an article about. I mean, I don't see her and it's getting kind of…boring…"

She trailed off, her eyes widening as my blood turned cold. I knew I couldn't yell at her too much; like it or not, she was my sister and I loved her. But I also couldn't let her be so selfish, and deep down, I was horrified that she had grown up to be so self-centered.

My voice, when I finally decided what to say, came out in a low hiss. Dina squeaked, so I must not have sounded as calm as I'd estimated.

"That was the most immature thing you've ever said, and believe you me, you have said many, many immature, stupid things." In hindsight, that could have come out a lot better, but at the time, I wasn't thinking. That my sister - sweet Dina who was always a step behind me when we were children - could have turned out like this when my back was turned was unacceptable to me. And yet it wasn't Dina I was mad at. She was a kid. She didn't know any better. I just… could it have been my fault? I was supposed to be there as she grew up… I was supposed to teach her. I was supposed to be there. I must've been the worst big brother in the world.

While my world was crashing down around my ears, Gio stepped in-between us, regarding us (namely me) warily. "Calm down," he grunted. "Let's…work this out later. Right now, we can't fight. Fin…" I was startled out of my anger. I just wasn't used to him using my name, I guess; ever since we'd battled Tabitha, he'd avoided calling me 'Fin.' "Could you go look for Lydia? I'll make sure Dina doesn't…get into trouble."

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind. "That would probably be for the best." With that, I turned away, ignoring Dina's gaze burning into the back of my skull, and continued walking.

It had been a minute or ten before I remembered why I was walking: to look for Lydia. I'd been so intent on leaving that I hadn't been paying any attention to my surroundings. Now I looked around. I could still hear the distant chatter in the streets of Mauville, but the city buildings had given way to a pretty route, with trees and lakes instead of stores and crowds. There was a single house overlooking a wide, sloping pasture, and a worn dirt road paved the way for cyclists and runners. Younger trainers were caring for their Pokémon in cliché fields of flowers. The scene in front of me was the poster life for the Pokémon trainer: the pinnacle of a Pokémon journey. What I would have given if Dina could be here, seeing all this with me.

Uh, Lydia. Right, I was here to look for Lydia. I pulled reluctantly away from the beautiful picture and retraced my steps back into Mauville. I hadn't even gone half the distance when the clear skies overhead rapidly clouded over, and I was treated to an abrupt downpour.

Wild Pokémon gave cries of alarm, darting back into their homes. The scattered trainers recalled their Pokémon and hurriedly dispersed to find shelter. When cyclists had rushed past me on the dirt path so often before, now they were scarce and always in a rush to get out of the deluge.

And then I heard the scream. Quickly locating the source, a pair of red-haired (warning bells) girls, I broke into a sprint. The duo appeared to be engaging in an argument (read: screaming match). The air was occasionally punctuated with high-pitched shouts as the girls grew more passionate about whatever they were arguing about.

As I drew nearer, I noticed the outline of a familiar large black canine at one of the girl's feet.

"Oh, no," I muttered, recognizing the girls.

"You're crazy! I hate water, so what do you do? Summon an evil, malicious, blood-sucking demon beast of horror! Are you trying to kill me?" screamed one of the girls. The Mightyena next to her wilted in mortification or shame - it was difficult to tell which one. It sank to the ground and placed its paws over its eyes.

"Castform does not suck blood," Lydia replied coolly. "I believe we were in the middle of a battle, and since Castform gains powers depending on the weather, it is perfectly logical for me to use Rain Dance. The crazy one is you, Lute."

I expected Lydia to continue with some strange reasoning that would take Lute's fear of water and distort it into a traumatic childhood experience deeply etched into her memory, perhaps of seeing a small child get dragged underwater by a Tentacruel or something, but Lydia didn't continue. Was I reading into the situation too much? Or was I, gods help me, growing used to Lydia's annoying yet reliable tendency to render ordinary happenings into life-changing headlines?

Lute crossed her arms over her chest, simultaneously hugging her orange jacket over her bathing suit to keep it dry (this in itself was illogical to me). She was shaking despite the Mightyena's attempts to placate her by rubbing its back against her feet. "I-I don't care. Just make it stop!"

Lydia noticed me then, her surprise evident in her face. I gave her a slight nod, and she relayed Lute's wishes to her Castform. It was odd to see her so compliant, but I guess Lute's breakdown had shaken her as well.

The Sunny Day that Castform employed cleared the gray skies and stopped the rain, but the puddles left in the aftermath remained. Lute, still trembling, attempted to compose herself, while Lydia calmly began a conversation. Absentmindedly, my mind registered that she was probably talking to me.

"Er, what?" I said haltingly after she asked me something.

"I said, where are Dina and Gio?" she said, looking amused.

"I…" I rubbed my temples. "I have no idea. They might be challenging the gym leader, but who knows with that girl anymore?"

Lydia seemed to realize that there was more to the story but, for once, she did not pursue. Huh, that was strange.

"By the way, what was going on here? You looked like you were fighting," I asked, not expecting a real answer.

"Fighting? We weren't fighting," Lydia said innocently.

"She's a monster. An evil monster sent to drag me back to the pits of hell," Lute was mumbling. The Mightyena nudged her ankle with its wet noise. I blinked. Okay, well, while Lydia was certainly annoying, I wouldn't go so far as to call her a monster…

"We know each other," Lydia explained. I wondered if Lydia also knew Marceau. Were they friends? However, it didn't look like Lydia disliked Lute, nor was she persecuting the ex-Aqua member. Perhaps the incidents were unrelated. "We were having a friendly battle to commemorate old times, but unfortunately, I forgot how unreasonable Lute gets when dealing with W-A-T-E-R."

"I know how to spell," Lute grumbled. I didn't know what to make of the situation, which usually didn't happen when Dina wasn't involved. I strongly suspected I would have to get used to being dumbfounded in the future.

"What's Lute doing here anyway?" I wondered out loud.

"I, er, I just happened…to be in the area! Ah, yes. Funny thing, coincidences are," said Lute nervously. She was a horrible liar, it seemed, but there was a determined glint in her eyes that told me she would get angry if I pressed the subject. A quick glance at Lydia also revealed that she didn't intend to offer any insight on the matter.

I let out a long, suffering sigh. "Let's just go and find the others…"

…

**-Mauville Game Corner-**

Shortly after Fin had stormed off, it had begun to rain heavily. Gio and Dina sought refuge in the nearby purple building, which was vacant due to the hour and the festivities. This suited Gio fine, because Dina was being quiet for once and the boy had grown tired of the cacophony of the outside world. They had been sitting there for a while, long enough for the rain to clear up, Gio relishing the silence and Dina deep in thought, probably feeling sorry for herself.

Finally, the awkward tension unnerved even Gio, and he spoke. "Look," he began gruffly, not sure how to proceed. How did one deal with preteen girls? "I know your brother sounded mad, but he'll get over it."

"I know," Dina said in a small voice.

"Don't say that, I'm sure he'll-wait, you do?" Gio was caught off guard. Dina didn't sound repentant or even sad at all. "Er, you…" This was why he didn't usually begin conversations. He should have just remained quiet.

"He's not really mad." Her voice was quiet, but her words never wavered. Gio realized this was probably a side of Dina most people would never get to see and wisely kept his mouth shut. "Fin hates to admit it, but he doesn't hold grudges. He doesn't even get angry with people. Whenever he lashes out…it's always at himself." Dina closed her eyes, an image of serenity upon her features.

"You know him well," Gio said.

"Uh-huh. He's my hero. I hope I'll get to be half the trainer he is."

Gio hesitated. Really, the girl was ten. He considered himself an intelligent cynic, but even he had concerns about trampling over a little girl's dreams.

"You want to be a great trainer, huh? Win all the conferences, beat the champion, that sort of thing?" he asked.

"Yup!" Dina said, her voice finally regaining its cheerful, carefree quality. "Doesn't everyone?"

"Doesn't that seem a bit…" He paused again. "…bleak? That everyone's striving for the same goal, yet only one person can achieve it? It's like there's only one person who's strong enough, and…well, it's probably not going to be you. What's the point of it all?"

Even if she disagreed, Gio thought, it was good to finally have that off of his chest. He didn't want to spill his entire back story to this little girl, but just admitting that much of himself to someone…was a big relief. He felt her careful gaze on him, her scrutinizing eyes, and he had the brief notion that maybe she wasn't as dumb as he always thought she was.

"If I fail," Dina said, looking up at the ceiling. "If I fail, I will simply get up and try again. I think…that's what true strength is."

She walked up to the casino doors, which slid upon soundlessly for her. The scent of fresh rain wafted toward Gio, who shrugged and followed her. The magic of the moment - the solemnity and deliberation - broken, Dina reverted to her typical self, bubbly and happy. Gio watched her carefully, but caught nothing of the Dina of a few minutes ago. And in true Gio fashion, he shook away his thoughts and joined Dina in finding her brother.

…

**-Mauville City-**

Lute left us just before we got to the city, and Lydia did nothing to stop her. The relationship between them felt more and more suspicious as we said our goodbyes. I hung back, since I didn't know Lute that well, but I swore they exchanged quiet parting words as they shook hands. It reminded me of a business deal; who shook hands with their friends in this time and age?

Some time later, I would ask Lydia how she knew Lute, and the reporter would laugh gently and say, "I'm a family friend." Now I merely looked at the scene in front of me and noted how similar the two girls looked, with their long red hair, and wondered if perhaps they were siblings.

"Do you know Lute from somewhere?" Lydia inquired, glancing at me through the corner of her eye.

"I don't really know her. I mean, not personally. I've heard about her. How she used to be with Team Aqua and stuff."

Lydia made a low humming sound but, again, did not pursue the topic. I was growing worried at her odd behavior; realizing that her tendency to exaggerate had defined her character in my mind, I was starting to miss the normal Lydia.

"Don't you usually pipe up, right about now, with some wacko conspiracy theory? I mean, she _used to work for Team Aqua_! How's that for a headline?" I tried, hoping to arouse her reporter's instinct.

She peered at me like I was the crazy one, which I wasn't. Definitely not. "No, we're…friends. I already know her history. And besides, I already tried to get a really good scoop out of her, but even my best efforts fell short of a masterpiece. There's nothing really left to report that hasn't already been, well, reported."

At least she was trying? I mustered up a grin and tried to sound enthusiastic. "Oh, well, I guess that happens. Better luck next time! Let's go find Dina and get some really, uh…some really good "scoops," huh?"

Lydia gave me a weird look, but the corners of her mouth quirked up. "You know, you sound a lot more intelligent when you're pretending to hate the insanity in your life. Thoughtfulness doesn't really suit you."

"See if I'm ever nice to you again," I grumbled without being upset. With the smell of fresh rain in the air and the sunlight radiating through the sky, it felt like a brand new day. The festivities had been disrupted by the onslaught, and Mauville City was littered with relics of the Creation Festival; soggy fliers and confetti lay abandoned in the streets, and there was a hopeful quiet reminiscent of waking up on a weekend morning. People were beginning to head back out into the streets, eager to continue their celebration.

"Fin," a familiar, gruff voice called out, and that was all the warning I got before the small bundle of unbridled joy known as my sister latched on to my arm. Gio walked up with a silent nod of acknowledgement toward Lydia, and it struck me that this really was my life: stuck with my annoying little sister, and two strange companions to face whatever insane plot life threw at us. I sighed and patted Dina's head, our past arguments behind us.

Slowly, the vendors and street performers drifted out of their shelters. The bustle of Mauville City rising until it reached its original heights.

"Let's go play," chirped Dina. "It's so boring just standing here!" This time, I humored her and walked off down a nearby venue. Gio stood back while we tried all kinds of games: a beanbag toss, darts, a strange luck-based game involving rubber Psyducks in a pool (Wae burst out of his Poké Ball and splashed water everywhere, effectively ruining the game). The activities were fun, but I usually lost, and eventually I contented myself to watching Lydia and Dina run around.

The sun was setting when the city children started heading home and the game stalls closed one after another. The more romantic events, like dances and haunted houses, started cropping up, and the crowds shifted from young children to adult couples. Lydia scurried around interviewing them about their thoughts on the festival. Apparently, she could be quite charming when she put her mind to it, and every so often an outburst of laughter would erupt from her direction.

"Ready for bed, squirt?" I asked when my sister and Wae ran and bounced, respectively, back to me.

"No way, José," she told me as she yawned. "We're not tired yet."

"Uh-huh," I said as I steered her toward the Pokémon Center by her shoulders. Catching Gio's eye, I gestured at our destination so that he would know where to meet us. Lydia was still mingling, so I left her to her own devices.

"I still want to play!" Dina whined, but her protests were interrupted by more yawns. "Fiiiiiin," she groaned.

"Fin," said a different voice.

"What?" I looked around. Lydia and Gio were still were we left them. Dina was also curiously surveying the area. There, in a small booth near the Pokémon Center, was an old man, maybe in his fifties, in ragged clothes. Where most people in his position would look like beggars, he gave off a world-weary aura, like he had been to many places and was finally resting. His hair was dusty brown and he had mesmerizing yellow eyes. Even stranger were his tattoos: he had a small ring on his forehead, with a line running from the top of the ring into his scalp. Similarly, two lines ran down his neck, one on each side, and I assumed more were covered by his clothes.

I don't know why, but I approached him. Dina debated following me for a moment before giving in and joining me in front of his stand.

I should have had a lot of questions. Who was this man? Why did he know my name? Why couldn't I move away? But I didn't ask any. In truth, no questions even crossed my mind; I just waited for him to begin speaking so I could listen. Whatever strange trance had overtaken me left Dina alone; she fidgeted awkwardly beside me.

"You know, of course, the origin of the Creation Festival," said the man. His voice was difficult to describe. It was somehow hot and tropical, suggestive of Dewford's beaches, and I felt a dull tug of homesickness in the pit of my stomach, a feeling I thought I'd never face again. And yet, I was also reminded of Ever Grande, and all the wonders I had seen on my way there. I found myself waiting for him to speak again until Dina poked my side and I realized that I was supposed to answer.

"Uh, the Creation Trio," I stammered. "Palkia, Dialga, and Arceus…" What had Lydia said this morning? "It's a Sinnoh tradition to celebrate…something…"

"The creation of the universe," said the man. He paused. "Why do you suppose people celebrate it in Hoenn?"

_I had no idea_. But I didn't say that. "Maybe because the creation of the universe includes Hoenn? I mean, it's kind of a big deal."

The man didn't laugh. "I see…" Another pause. He closed his eyes and seemed to flicker before us, but that was impossible. "Dialga is the deity of time. Palkia is the deity of space. And Arceus, the Original One, is the deity that created both of them. Or so the legend goes."

"Humans deify that which they do not understand. This placates their curiosity and their natural servitude. That the world is controlled by forces beyond human power… But the Creation Festival has its roots far deeper than this farce of a celebration."

Dina trembled at my side. Even I was feeling sick. Why was he telling us this? The question would not rise to my lips, so I stayed silent and let the man talk.

"Years ago - many, many years ago, the Creation Festival was not celebrated to glorify the Original One, but to ask Him for…for protection. And for the hope of a better future. That protection was represented by these."

The man lifted a hand and placed two spheres onto the table. One was pink, and the other blue. "The Sword Sphere and the Shield Sphere. The oracles of those days carried them always. They represent the guardians that hold the world in stasis, Dialga and Palkia. One might even say they represent the heroes who would ensure the future stayed intact."

He had already lost me. Dina clung on to every word, but I had always found mythology boring. The man evidently guessed so, because he laughed. "Of course, such spirituality is rare if not extinct these days. These two babies are nothing more than good luck charms now. But humor an old man."

I smiled politely, my voice still not working. At some point, Dina had grabbed my hand and her fingernails dug deep into my skin.

The man continued talking, oblivious and uncaring. "Yes, good luck charms. One for the unfortunate boy." He slid the blue orb in front of me. "And the other for the unwavering sister." The pink orb went to Dina. My hand shook free of Dina's grip and reached for the blue Shield Sphere. A second after me, Dina took hold of the Sword Sphere.

Feeling the cool surface of the orb made me remember how to speak, and all the pent-up words came pouring out of me. I wasn't even sure what I was saying anymore, but there was an underlying tone of urgency in everything I said. Dina stared wide-eyed at the man, but when I turned to look at him, he was already gone.

We stared at his vacant booth until Gio arrived and forced us into bed.

**I tried to write this chapter at least eight different times before realizing that I still had Lute on the backburner. Also, mystery!man in the last section was originally going to be Tabitha crossdressing to disguise himself, but I decided against it. Just wanted to let you know what you guys were missing.**

**If anyone can guess who that man is, by the way, I will definitely do something special.**

**I recently plotted out a basic outline for this story, and it's looking to be maybe thirty chapters. Just an FYI.**

**Useless fact: Tuesday and Vic are both from Lavaridge Town; they were in the same class in school, which is how they met.**

**Credits**

**Giovanni Cliff belongs to Ano-chan**

**Lydia Wist belongs to Windy Rain**

**Lute, Fin, and Dina belong to me**


	10. La Découverte de la Stratégie

**Disclaimer: Fang does not own Pokémon.**

**Chapter 10: The Discovery of Strategy**

**-Mauville City-**

Blue. The Shield Sphere, regardless of what its name implied, did not resemble a shield, nor did it bear any design to explain its name. Rather, it was an orb with two gray lightning bolts - one on each side - stuck to its surface. I had tried last night to pry the appendages off, but they would only budge about an inch before returning to their original positions, as if pulled into place by (really powerful) magnets. Inside the sphere was some kind of clear solution with blue particles suspended within the liquid, giving it its hue. I tried dropping the sphere to see if it would break, but I succeeded only in startling Gio, who had the misfortune of sharing a room at the Pokémon Center with me.

The Sword Sphere, currently in Dina's ownership, was similarly structured, though the particles held within were pink. Instead of gray lightning bolts, it was adorned with two white tusks and a long dorsal fin. Dina had grown increasingly possessive over it, and so I couldn't test if it was as durable as the Shield Sphere.

When I suggested that we threw the spheres away (after all, what if they were dangerous toxins or explosives?), Dina freaked out. "No way! It's a good luck charm! Besides, it's really cute after you get a good look at it."

True to her words, she was rarely without it, even crafting it a crude chair of napkins so that the sphere could sit next to her breakfast plate.

"Perhaps it's a mind control device that required bodily contact for a sustained period of time, which is why she won't let it go," theorized Lydia, but from the glint in her red eyes, I could tell she was teasing me.

"Let her play with it," said Gio, taking Dina's side. "It's merely a toy."

So I sighed, pocketed the Shield Sphere, and prepared for another mentally exhausting day.

The streets still bore signs of the Creation Festival, but the performers and banners were gone. The city seemed to lag, its residents weary from the celebration, and it was enveloped in a peaceful fog. Dina broke this reverie by dragging us all to the gym, which had been closed the day before.

"Mauville has electric types, right?" she exclaimed excitedly. "That means Beany has the advantage!"

"But Wae is your strongest, and he's a water type," I interjected. To my surprise, Dina didn't brush this disadvantage aside.

"Is there a good strategy for water types against electric types?" she said.

"Yeah," I muttered unhelpfully. "Don't send one out against them." Type disadvantages were a sore topic for me. As a trainer, I had always striven to overcome them, but it took a better trainer than me to completely brush them aside.

"Electric types tend to rely more on speed and power than defense," said Gio in my place. "Try to strategize around Wailmer's bulk and resilience… The speed and power in its Rollout attack will also help."

I raised an eyebrow at his unusual chattiness. He met my gaze evenly and shrugged, and I chalked it up to him being Gio - he did what he did, regardless of what was expected of him.

"I read that Wattson's not someone to laugh at," Lydia warned us. "I was born in Slateport, and we often heard stories. He's been a gym leader for a long time, so he knows what he's doing, even without type advantages."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely win," announced Dina. "This'll be my third badge!"

We stopped in front of the large yellow building marked with the Pokémon League's insignia. True to its core, the front of the gym displayed an oversized model of Mauville's gym badge, surrounded by five lightning bolts. The doors slid open, and a brown haired man with round glasses walked out. He wore a pale yellow cardigan over a turquoise turtleneck, and honestly, even if I hadn't been acquainted with Wattson, I'd never believe he was the gym leader.

"Oh! Uh, are you all challengers, by any chance?" the man ventured.

"No, just me," said Dina in an endearingly sweet voice. Apparently the man thought so too, because he focused on her and replied in a similar tone.

"I'm sorry, but the gym's closed for now due to, er, technical problems. Take this opportunity to train some more, and come back later if you want to see the gym leader," the man said.

"You're not the gym leader?" asked Dina.

"No, I'm the gym assistant, Watt. The gym leader can't see anyone right now, so, uh…run along now?" Watt finished weakly as Dina's puppy dog eyes intensified.

"But I really want to challenge the gym now," she said.

"The gym leader isn't here?" Lydia chimed. "He's missing? Abducted? Kidnapped? Slateport's gym leader was busy as well. This can't be a coincidence… Ah, I've got it now! Pokémon League sends leaders to investigate suspicious happenings in Hoenn! One by one, the gym leaders disappear, leaving challengers in disarray and chaos!"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure that's not happening," Watt tried to interrupt her, but she spoke over him.

"Maybe it's not kidnappings, but an event where gym leaders need to go incognito? A scandal within the Pokémon League! I might be the first reporter to discover this!" Sure enough, her notepad was out, and Lydia was furiously scribbling down notes so that she wouldn't forget anything.

"I-is she going to be okay?" Watt asked nervously.

"She'll be fine. I mean, no crazier than she started off," I sighed. "Sorry to disturb you. We'll leave now."

"Fin, but I need my badge!" protested Dina. She stomped her foot, making it apparent that she didn't intend to budge until she got what she wanted.

"Dina, you're being spoiled," I reminded her, unnecessarily gentle. "You'll get your badge, just another time when the gym leader's free."

Those were the wrong words, setting Lydia off on another rampage. "Perhaps this has been slowly brewing for a long time, until recently the pressure of this deeply guarded secret became too much to bear, and the gym leaders just had to escape from it all! The readers will love this!"

On the upper hand, the look on Watt's face was almost worth the headache I was getting. Gio moved closer to me with a pained expression, probably because I was making the least noise. Dina had begun to make high-pitched whining sounds.

"Look, I'll cut you a deal," Watt relented. "You can battle me for the badge, and in return, please don't mention anything of this to the press."

"Is that even legal?" Lydia said, a little impressed.

"Of course it is," Watt said hastily. "Wattson left me in charge, after all. He trusts my judgment; besides, if you can beat me, you earned the badge."

"You talk big for a gym assistant," said Lydia. "Have you ever been on a Pokémon journey? How many badges did you get? Did you make it to the conference? Did you take on the Elite Four challenge? Why are you working here if you're that good?" Of course, all of her questions were fired in rapid succession, leaving Watt no time to answer.

Gio placed a rough hand on her shoulder, effectively quieting her. Taking this opportunity to escape, Watt gestured for us to follow him and led us inside the gym.

The interior of the building was dark; Watt clapped his hands, and the lights flicked on, momentarily blinding us. Dina, of course, was impressed by the trick and amused herself by clapping loudly, but the lights remained lit.

"Uh, be careful. There are a few holes in the ground…" Watt warned us, carefully maneuvering around the gym. A "few" was an understatement, especially since some of the holes were deep and wide - large enough for a person to fall into and never get out. Others were filled with strange things like colored balloons and stuffed Minun. I was pretty sure I saw a roller coaster car at the bottom of one.

"Wattson enjoys booby traps," Watt explained. "Since the gym is supposed to be closed, these have been shut down, but they're still a menace to public safety. Wattson refuses to get rid of them, though."

Now that he mentioned it, I did recall a few horrifying experiences at this particular gym, although it appeared Wattson had renovated and upgraded the traps since my visit here.

Watt led us to a vast room in the back where the gym battles took place; this, at least, had not changed and was similarly structured to other battlefields. I cautiously surveyed the area, making sure that the booby traps waylaying the hallway were absent on the bleachers before I sat down. If I remembered Wattson correctly, I couldn't be too careful in this gym.

"How many Pokémon do you have on you?" Watt asked my sister.

"Two. Is that all right?"

Watt nodded. "It'll be fine." He paused to stare at the battlefield, his brow furrowing as he thought. "I usually judge, but… Can one of you judge?"

The question was directed at Gio, but he merely shrugged and averted his gaze, looking over at Lydia and me. Lydia was making a few side notes and revisions in the margins of her notebook, clearly sending me the message that she was too preoccupied. Sighing, I stood up, feeling old. While I had had to judge a few times in my travels, I didn't find the experience too liberating. Face it, no one paid attention to the judge, and while judges made good money and usually turned out to be strong battlers thanks to the time they spent observing Pokémon battles, no one announced that they wanted to be a Pokémon judge when they grew up.

"Sure," I relented as Gio took my place on the bleachers. "I don't know the rules of the gym, though…"

"It'll be a two-on-two battle; challenger can switch out. First trainer to knock out both of the opponent's Pokémon is the winner," said Watt. He jogged over to the other side of the battlefield, leaving Dina on the side nearest to the door. "Ready?"

I obediently relayed his instructions. After a quick, worried glance at my sister, I shouted, "Begin!"

"Ampharos, you're up!" Watt immediately called out, releasing his Poké Ball. A slim yellow Pokémon popped out, landing lightly on the ground. I raised my eyebrows; Ampharos wasn't native to Hoenn, though Dina wasn't familiar with many Pokémon, so it didn't make much of a difference.

"Beany, show 'em your stuff!" cried Dina, throwing her Poké Ball. Despite knowing in my gut that Bellsprout was the wiser choice, the grass Pokémon still looked flimsy and pathetic next to Watt's Ampharos.

"Interesting," Watt said, nodding in approval. "Bellsprout aren't from Hoenn either; how did you come across this one?"

"A trade," replied Dina, looking over at me. I gave a slight shake of my head; it was best to let bygones be bygones and let past misunderstandings be forgotten.

"We'll see if you got a good deal or not; Ampharos, Cotton Spore!" Watt commanded. I silently conceded that he knew his Pokémon well; while I'd never had the pleasure of raising one, I knew Ampharos were one of the slower Electric types.

The Ampharos hopped forward, letting out a battle cry as small fluffy balls erupted from its mouth.

"Vine Whip, Beany!" To its credit, the Bellsprout reacted with remarkable speed, but his vines were outnumbered, and he was unable to prevent many of the Cotton Spores from sticking to him. Undaunted, Dina plowed on, "Don't worry. Use Growth, then Weather Ball!"

Watt took her order in great stride, despite its unusual nature. "Charge, Ampharos, and then Flash."

Both Pokémon stilled, focusing on mustering their power. Likewise, an unworldly silence fell over the gym as we waited to see which Pokémon would break concentration first.

Ampharos's eyes suddenly shot opened, and I instinctively thought that the battle could have been decided right there. But the electric Pokémon waited patiently for Beany to finish his Growth; that's when I realized that, just like in the case with Norman, Watt wasn't fighting a gym battle like Dina was. He was fighting a teaching battle, which explained his pacifistic strategy. He hadn't even used an offensive technique yet.

"Bell! Beeeeell!" announced Beany when he finished. Ampharos braced itself as a swirling white sphere formed between the Bellsprout's leaves. Then someone behind me pulled me backward, and the world exploded in a blinding white light.

I found myself lying eagle spread on my back across someone's legs, which would have been uncomfortable had this person's shoe not been digging into my flesh, making it just plain painful. I voiced this discomfort, utilizing the fullest extent of my vocabulary. "Ow."

"He just saved your eyesight," observed a voice that sounded like Lydia's. Unfortunately, my vision kept flashing from a blurry distortion of my surroundings to blank whiteness. "Ampharos are used in lighthouses for a reason, and this one had just used Charge."

"You sure know a lot about Ampharos," I muttered, rubbing my head where I had slammed it on the way down.

"No, I know a lot about lighthouses. I grew up in Slateport, remember?"

"Kindly continue your conversation after removing yourself from my lap," Gio muttered, shifting; in the process of getting up, he unceremoniously dropped me on the ground. After standing and dusting myself off, I smiled. That was the first display of steel I had seen from him since the battle where we'd met. Just hanging around us was getting to him, I guess.

A loud blast snapped my attention back to the battlefield, where Beany was attempting to locate Ampharos after getting a face full of its Flash. The Cotton Spores from earlier were still clinging to the poor Pokémon's wiry body, and his lack of muscle mass hindered him greatly. With tremendous effort, Beany fired off another Weather Ball, which missed Ampharos by a long shot and, with another earsplitting noise, blasted another dent in the wall.

"Come on," Dina persisted, "shake it off! Use Stun Spore!"

That was definitely a new move. While the technique itself was not uncommon, I'd never seen (or in this case, heard) Dina use it for Beany. I was surprised, but also thankful that she had moved past using only the same three moves.

Beany expelled a cloud of yellow dust from his bulb, forgoing the process of aiming and just scattering the spores everywhere. Watt and Ampharos watched the cloud carefully, neither making a movement as it slowly approached their side of the battlefield.

"Now, run straight ahead while using Razor Leaf!" Dina shouted. I couldn't tell if she was trying to corner her opponent in between the Stun Spore or if she was just trying out attacks to see which hit. I thought maybe she was trying to incorporate some semblances of strategy into the battle, but she was just going about it in a strange way.

"Cotton Spore!" Watt ordered, keeping on the defensive. The battle, honestly, was beginning to drag-

I threw myself at the floor as three blades of Razor Leaf flew over my head. Beany clearly had no idea what he was doing, as he sent his attacks in all directions, hoping for a lucky hit. Fortunately, Ampharos intervened, once again exhaling Cotton Spore at his opponent. This time, however, the white balls attached themselves to the Bellsprout's leaves, slowing down and eliminating any danger they posed to anyone.

"That's not fair!" Dina cried out while Beany looked around frantically in confusion, wondering what he was doing wrong this time.

"Sorry," Watt said, looking wholly unapologetic. "It's been fun playing, but I have a lot to do today. Ampharos, clean it up. Fire Punch!"

My eyebrows shot up; now that was something new! Ampharos cried out as a mass of fire gathered around its fist.

"No, Beany! Stun Spore!" Dina shouted, as if sheer volume would stave off defeat.

As Ampharos approached, Beany blew a familiar blast of yellow spores in front of it; the paralysis-inducing attack couldn't fend off the Ampharos though. The electric Pokémon plowed through the cloud, fiery hand extended. The Fire Punch hit Beany head on, sending the Bellsprout flying. It landed behind Dina, outside of the battle lines.

"Uh, Beany is unable to battle. Ampharos wins!" I declared. Dina quietly recalled her Pokémon, visibly disheartened. I understood how she felt; with only Wae left, her chances of victory were diminishing rapidly. At the same time, I knew that bad strategizing had cost her this match, and if only she'd stop to think about her commands, she might have a chance at defeating Ampharos.

"Let's go, Wae!" Dina said, throwing her Poké Ball into the air. The Wailmer burst out with a happy gurgle, bouncing where he landed on the floor. The impact blew Beany's Stun Spore away from him, where they eventually dispersed, harmless.

Watt looked at Wae with interest. "That's not a Pokémon you usually see on a novice," he observed. "Of course, what with running an electric gym, it's not a Pokémon we see around here at all."

"I'm not a novice!" Dina stressed. "I've already got two badges! This'll be my third!" Watt smiled, his eyebrows raising a little. Thankfully, Dina didn't clarify on how she had obtained those two badges. I had the feeling that her journey thus far didn't reflect the skills the average Pokémon trainer needed.

"Well then, let's begin. Ladies first," Watt said courteously.

"All right, Wae, Ampharos is already Paralyzed, so I know you can do this. Use Rollout!" Dina called out, and I was thankful she had taken Gio's advice.

Watt didn't waste any time calling out an attack, intent on ending this battle quickly. "Thundershock!"

Wae leapt into the air, beginning to rotate mid-jump. When it landed, it was nothing but a rotating, blurred sphere barreling forward at alarming speeds. Any remnants of Beany's Stun Spore perished in Wae's dust. Ampharos bravely stood its ground, its Thundershock hitting its mark; Wae's momentum served as a buffer against the electric attack though, and the water Pokémon slammed into Ampharos's side before dashing off again.

"Keep it up," Dina cheered. "Rollout again!"

Watt didn't seem worried, though he didn't have much cause to be. "Thundershock, Ampharos."

This exchange went just as it had before, with Ampharos taking the brunt of the hit and Wae spinning away before the electric type could mount any serious form of retaliation. It was becoming less a battle of skill and more a test of endurance. I didn't have any experience as a gym leader, but I just couldn't figure out what Watt was playing at.

I must have been mumbling to myself, because Gio and Lydia began talking as well.

"How strange," Lydia said. "He's abandoned all forms of strategy and is lowering himself to Dina's standards. Fascinating. Why would he do that?"

"I don't think he's abandoned all strategy, just that he's pushing his limits," Gio said gruffly. He paused as he watched Wae turn around and begin speeding back towards Ampharos. "Any way you look at it, Ampharos has been better trained than Wailmer."

"He's testing her," I realized, remembering the incident at Slateport gym. "That's what the gyms are here for: to test a trainer's ability. But I still don't understand why he's going about it like this…"

Gio shrugged, his eyes following Wae around the battlefield. "He doesn't intend to lose," he said finally. I looked away from the battle, which hadn't progressed much further, to stare him down, but he avoided my gaze and didn't expand.

On the other hand, Lydia appeared to have caught on. "That level of altruism is rare," she said, pulling out the - oh please, no - notepad and jotting something down. "He knows what he's doing, but he chooses to remain relatively behind-the-scenes as the gym's assistant. I wonder if there's any reason for this?"

"Guys, what are you talking about?" I asked, trying on Dina's puppy dog face. Lydia snorted.

Oblivious to my plight, Dina decided to change tactics as I sulked. "Come on, it's weak, Wae! Use Whirlpool!"

Wae slowed to a halt, and as he stopped rolling, his battle wounds became much more apparent. The successive Thundershocks had clearly rattled the Pokémon, but his spirit had yet to be dampened. Dina's enthusiasm was rubbing off on her Pokémon, which I would wager was her strongest point as a trainer. She was undeniably charismatic once she really set her mind to something, and I'd never seen her commit to anything as thoroughly as this.

Ampharos wasn't that much better off. I'd argue that the electric-type looked a lot wearier than Wae did, but it had yet to lose its composure. I couldn't predict how the battle would go.

Wae opened his mouth, the water that accumulated there slowly forming what looked like a blue tornado. I narrowed my eyes when it seemed to take him much longer than usual to form the attack.

"Charge," Watt ordered. "Then Discharge."

"It's over," I heard Gio murmur. Lydia made a small sound of agreement, but I kept my eyes on my sister in a futile hope that maybe, by some miracle, Wae would pull through.

The water Pokémon launched the Whirlpool, which hit Ampharos solidly, knocking the smaller Pokémon on the ground. For a moment, it looked like Ampharos wouldn't be getting up, but the battered Pokémon forced its eyes open with admirable discipline. The electricity it was gathering crackled louder by the second, giving Ampharos the strength to pull through. A blink later, Discharge sent streams of electricity in every direction except, impressively, toward the trainers and the bleacher. Wae was caught in the torrent, crying out pathetically.

"Wae!" Dina shouted, disregarding the rest of the battle and rushing to her Pokémon. Immediately, Ampharos called off the attack, pushing itself up in exhaustion.

I didn't know what to do. Watt kept his face blank of all judgment, but I was pretty sure running on to the battlefield during the battle disqualified Dina or at least had some repercussions. "Wae is unable to battle," I eventually decided on. "This victory goes to the Mauville Gym…uh, Assistant, Watt, and Ampharos!"

Gio moved past me, approaching Dina as she fussed over Wae. To my surprise, he pulled out some sort of bottle from his pocket and sprayed down Wae's wounds.

"A potion," he grunted when Dina looked at the bottle questioningly. "We should still stop by the Pokémon Center though."

"Okay," Dina said, giving Wae another worried look. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, just needs rest," Gio replied. "Your other one needs to be checked out too."

Dina nodded, pushing the button on Wae's Poké Ball to return him. "Sorry, we'll get them next time," she whispered, cradling the ball before putting it away.

"You've got potential, but you could use a little polishing," Watt said as he walked over. I snorted. Only a little?

Dina stood up to shake his hand. "Yeah. Fin keeps yelling at me about strategy and stuff, so I've been trying to come up with new things. I guess I still have a long way to go, huh?"

Watt shook his head, a small smile on his face. Ampharos, looking a little worn out, came up from behind him and clutched at his pant leg. He petted the electric-type absentmindedly. "No, no, that's not what I was saying. I could definitely see where you tried to be more subtle with your technique, but I could also see that you're a hard hitter. I'm going to guess that you usually focus on offensive techniques?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dina said, but her hesitation betrayed her confusion.

"I'll explain. Stun Spore is a very useful in that it induces paralysis, but you used it as if it were an attack during the battle. Your attacks were very disjointed throughout the match, like when you'd order your Pokémon to do a combination attack and then switch strategies half-way through. Then when you sent out Wailmer - your first Pokémon? - you reverted back to your old ways, using your most powerful move."

I nodded at each of his points, thinking them over thoroughly. In her matches with Brawly and Norman, she definitely relied heavily on offensive moves. And against Lily…that's when she started using other techniques, but she always backed them with powerful attacks. She wasn't used to dealing with moves like Stun Spore and Cotton Spore, which explained the disorderly rhythm during the battle.

"Would I be wrong in saying that you use a lot of defensive moves?" Watt asked, turning to face me.

I blinked. "I guess I do. They're useful in certain situations."

"It's something I see often in younger trainers. They imitate the battle styles of people they look up to, a sibling or a famous trainer. Whether it was conscious or not, I think Dina was trying to copy you. For some, it works out well, but in other instances, such as this one…"

I glanced at Dina with my eyebrows raised, and she blushed and shuffled her feet. "Since Fin is so strong, I thought I could impress him…"

Watt smiled and patted her on her shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong, but it is better to stick with what you're good at. I'm not saying don't use strategy, but you need to train with your Pokémon and find out what works for you, not what works for Fin."

Dina nodded emphatically. "Don't worry, we'll train super hard, and next time we battle, I'll win!"

**Eh…sorry for the delay, I guess? Don't have a real excuse for it; this chappie was intended to be twice as long as this, featuring Dina catching her next Pokémon (guess which Pokémon?). But I decided that was too much for one chapter, so that'll be next chapter.**

**Next chapter also includes some major plot points, as well as the grand meeting between Fin and Tuesday!**

**So one person guessed correctly last chapter, and I promised I'd do something special. And because I've never been one to keep secrets, I'm going to allow each person to ask one question (via review, PM, stalkerish post-it notes on my front door, etc). You may ask anything from, "What Pokémon will Dina catch in the future?" to "What will you write after Fin?" to "What the flip is up with Professor Hawthorne?" The only things you can't ask are "Why does Vic want to destroy the world?", "Who is the mystery man in chapter 9?" and "What is your social security number?"**

**In addition, you must have an account to ask a question because I'll answer each privately. Sorry if you don't have one. Make one.**

**Random Fact: Fin has a sweet tooth and isn't fond of spicy things, like Occa berries.**

**Credits**

**Gio Cliff belongs to Ano-chan**

**Lydia Wist belongs to Windy Rain**

**Watt and Wattson belong to Nintendo**

**Dina and Fin belong to me**


	11. Le Roi de l'Enquête

**Disclaimer: This is a work of (fan)fiction. People, places, and franchises that Fang does not own belong to other people.**

**Chapter 11: The King of the Inquisition**

**-Pokémon Center-**

We waited in the lounge for Nurse Joy to finish her examination on Dina's Pokémon. Lydia excused herself to make a phone call, leaving me and Dina alone with Gio. The tall boy sighed deeply as he slumped into his couch.

"So, are you from around here?" I asked, keeping my tone conversational. While I was growing used to his presence, I still didn't know much about him - something I intended to rectify.

"'m from Kanto," Gio mumbled, closing his eyes. He scowled as if he was trying to sleep and we were being pests, but I knew he was listening.

"A Kanto boy?" Lydia said from behind me. "Sorry, I had to phone an old friend. What brings you to Hoenn? Tourist?"

Hoenn, with its warm climate and tropical geography, was a popular vacation spot for people from other regions. Gio was silent for a moment. "No. Just traveling…"

"Well, you must be a really good trainer," Dina said sincerely. "If it wasn't for your advice, I probably wouldn't even have scratched that Ampharos."

"You do know an awful lot about Pokémon and how to care for them," I said, thinking back to his quick response to Wae's injuries.

Gio, predictably, shrugged. "Mom's a nurse."

As if on cue, Nurse Joy walked out with Dina's Poké Balls on a stretcher pushed by a Chansey. "Dina, right?" she asked, approaching us. "Your Pokémon will be just fine. Before you battle again, you should probably let them get some exercise though, but other than that, you're free to go."

"Thanks so much!" Dina cheered, snatching her Pokémon from the stretcher. Nurse Joy and Chansey took that as their signal to leave. I stood up and started to leave, the others following suit.

As soon as we made it outside, Dina released both Beany and Wae. Beany landed on his feet, but then tripped and fell on his face. Wae, on the other hand, gave a large bounce as he hit the ground, attracting the admiring stares of some children who had been playing beside the Pokémon Center.

"All right, let's get training!" Dina announced, striking a bold pose as Wae flailed in anticipation. Beany shivered and tried to hide behind his comrade's bulk, but Dina caught him before he got away and lifted him in her arms. "We'll become super strong, and next time, we'll beat those pesky electric types!"

"Not here, squirt," I sighed. "We'll only be a disruption. Let's head north. We can find wild Pokémon up there for you to battle against."

"Maybe I'll catch another Pokémon!" Dina said emphatically, looking delighted by the prospect. "Let's go right now!"

Chuckling a little at her raw enthusiasm, and by the way Beany was futilely trying to escape back inside his Poké Ball, I led the way to Mauville's north exit. I had been through Route 111 a few times before, on my way to collect my fifth badge on Lavaridge Town and for a couple missions during my time with…Vic. I was more familiar with the landscape than my companions, anyway, so they followed me as I maneuvered my way around little children on picnics with adorable Pokémon.

"Where are we headed?" Lydia asked warily after we had been walking for a while. She was eyeing the setting sun. "There's a desert not too far ahead, and we definitely don't want to get caught up in that."

I shrugged. I'd been through worse conditions, but I didn't say so. "That's up to Dina. I'm not the one with a badge to earn."

We all turned to look at my sister, who smiled back with shining eyes. "A desert?" she asked, barely containing her excitement. "I bet you could find some _great_ Pokémon there! Rare Pokémon that we've never seen before!" So far, Route 111 had only yielded some Geodudes and stray Marills, which were easily dispatched by Wae and Beany. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), this had dampened her spirit none, and Dina continued to glow at the prospect of recruiting another Pokémon.

I ran my fingers through my hair, sighing at the predictability of our situation. "Don't worry. If we hurry, we could probably get there and back before sundown. Maybe." I inwardly winced. Now that I had voiced our concerns, the worst was bound to happen. Beany didn't seem to understand the conversation, but he balked at the sight of Dina's enthusiasm. He wrapped himself around my calf and refused to let go.

"You hear that Wae? We're getting a new friend today! A powerful, rare, and unusual Pokémon!" Dina cheered, racing ahead of us. Wae bobbled his excitement and rolled after her, picking up speed as he went. It wasn't long before he steamrolled past her. My sister took this as a challenge and chased the Water Pokémon even farther up the path.

"Should we…?" Gio grunted. We could still hear the Wailmer's cries and bursts of Dina's shouts.

"…no," I said, relaxing. "This route's a one way road. We'll catch up once she wears herself out." Ingenious, I thought. This way, I wouldn't have to deal with her abundance of energy on the return trip.

We enjoyed a brief walk in silence as Dina's shouts diminished. I was working up a sweat now; while my body could take much more physical exertion, the ground radiated heat like a furnace. The vegetation grew brown until finally all traces of plant life vanished, and the grass, crisp with heat, gave way to a sea of sand.

That's where we found Dina.

She was sitting on the ground in front of Wae, her arms crossed and her expression the picture of uncharacteristic anger. The Wailmer had the decency to look abashed, but there wasn't much else to judge the situation by.

I placed my hand on my sister's shoulder. "C'mon, squirt, what's up?"

Dina didn't answer, but Wae gave a low whine, rolling around a bit. The desert was soaking up the moisture on its skin, which couldn't have been healthy, and it was clear that Wae was uncomfortable here. Beany was also starting to wilt, although whether that was from exhaustion or dismay, I couldn't tell.

Gio crouched next to her. "'s wrong?" he muttered. To my disbelief, Dina raised her chin, her eyes a little wet.

Wait, what was up with the two of them? Dina responded to Gio, of all people, but not me? _Gio_?

"I-I took out the good luck charm, the…the…" Dina trailed off, momentarily distracted from her fit.

"Sword Sphere," I supplied helpfully.

"I took out the Sword Sphere and waved it around," Dina sniffed. "And then I accidentally dropped it, and then _Wae ate it!"_ She shouted this last bit at her Pokémon, who shrank under her gaze. Dina turned to me with an enormous pout. "Fin! Make him give it back!"

I rolled my eyes. Of course my sister would be the one to get attached to a random trinket she'd received from a stranger. She didn't even seem to be considering any possible health hazards the orb might pose to her Pokémon. Sure, Wae didn't appear to be poisoned or sick, but cheap freebies like the Sword Sphere probably weren't meant to be consumed.

Dina jumped up and started pawing at the Wailmer, as if that would get her toy back. I waved her away before she seriously hurt her Pokémon; the Water-type was not looking particularly resilient underneath the intense sun.

"Look, you can have mine," I said, watching her face light up. I patted my pockets for the Shield Sphere, which I had admittedly forgotten about in the heat of the battle. Locating it, I pulled out the blue orb and handed it to my sister. I didn't have much use for it, but I was thankful it could make my sister happy.

Wae nudged his way up to Dina, peering up at her with hopeful eyes. She pursed her lips at him before relenting. "Okay, you're forgiven." Then a steely glint reappeared in her eyes. "But no eating anything that doesn't belong to you, okay?"

The Wailmer voiced his agreement happily. Lydia took this chance to butt in. "Uh, Dina? Wae's looking a little…dry."

Abruptly, Gio wrestled the top off of a water bottle he withdrew from his bag, dumping its contents on top of Wae. The Water type grinned under the water, enjoying the shower.

"Better return 'im soon," Gio said. Dina heeded his instructions, calling her Pokémon back in a burst of red light. Her eyes suddenly latched on to Beany, who flinched.

"Beany," she singsonged, inching closer. The Bellsprout let go of my leg and ran for all he was worth…which wasn't very far; its thin roots were ill-suited for the hot sand.

Dina scooped up the Grass-type and darted out into the desert. "We're gonna go find us a friend, Beany!"

"Bell…" Beany said half-heartedly, waving a leaf in the air. No one moved to help him.

Lydia began walking after her, looking around cautiously. "It's looking to be pretty clear. We're really lucky we didn't walk straight into a sandstorm."

"Sandstorm?" Gio asked, looking shocked (which, for Gio, consisted of a slight pause and some extra blinking). I remembered that he was a Kanto native.

"This desert is known for its long sandstorms. They're not particularly dangerous if you have the proper gear, but the press always catches wind of some stupid travellers who get caught unawares."

Lydia cast a sideways glance at my jibe. "Hey. You do remember that we're travellers without proper gear too, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Please. It sounds much more dangerous than it actually is."

…believe it or not, five minutes later, the skies were still clear and we had caught up to Dina. She was raising a fuss over Beany for some reason or other. There were a few small children nearby who kept sending her dirty looks. I squinted over in their direction; they couldn't possibly be older than my sister. They looked as if they were…camping…in a desert.

I shook my head. Now I knew why so many trainers landed a nice story in the papers for getting trapped in a sandstorm.

"Did you see that?" Dina yelled, running up to me and cheering in my face.

"Unfortunately not." I cast a glance upward where the sky was tinged faintly bronze.

"There was a funny Pokémon!" Dina said. "It was yellow and brown, and really spiky. Beany sent a Razor Leaf at it, and it ran away!"

I scanned the area; any signs of such a Pokémon had vanished. "Sounds like a Sandslash," I reasoned. "They're pretty common around here."

Suddenly, Lydia yelped and flung herself at me. I saw a flurry of long red hair before we both tumbled to the ground. "What is wrong with you?" I cried as Dina and Gio smirked at us.

"Something bit me." She bent down to rub her ankle.

"You're wearin' flip flops," Gio observed, brandishing his own tennis shoes. Dina and I also checked our footwear, finding to no surprise that we were dressed fit to travel.

Lydia pushed her hair out of her eyes with a flourish. "It's just about a million and ten degrees every day here. I am not wearing sneakers."

Sensing an argument, Dina scooped up Beany and skedaddled out of there, probably in search of the elusive Sandslash again. But Gio evenly met Lydia's gaze.

I sighed. Grabbing my pair of sandals out of my bag, I slipped off my shoes and offered them to her. "Look, just wear mine while we're in the desert. Hot or not, it's dangerous."

Gio raised an eyebrow at me, pointedly staring at my alternative. I shot him a glare. My sandals had a strap across the top and along the back of the shoe; I knew they weren't the safest shoes around, but they weren't flip flops.

Lydia graciously accepted my sacrifice, and we proceeded onward in pursuit of Dina. We'd covered about a hundred feet before I stopped and said, "Do you smell that?"

The others froze and turned their noses to the air. There was the lingering scent of some kind of…flower. Even in Dewford, Hoenn boasted an impressive armada of tropical flowers, but none with a scent as strong and distinct as this one.

"It's wonderful," Lydia breathed. "I've never smelled anything like it." She slowly withdrew her notepad and started jotting things down, for once in her life relaxed.

Gio frowned. I think we were finally getting past his wall of inexpressiveness, because the corners of his mouth actually turned downward. "I think it smells weird."

They both turned to face me, as if my opinion could decide what the flower actually smelled like. I blanched, holding up my hands in the classic 'I surrender' pose. "I, uh…"

To be honest, it didn't smell bad. To me, it just smelled like food. Kind of sweet, like honey, but filling… "It smells like…candy?" I settled on.

Before they could critique my sense of smell, a loud explosion rocked the desert, sending plumes of thick sand into the air. The campers scattered, abandoning their tents while screaming, "Sandstorm!"

But there was too little wind for a sandstorm, and upon listening closer, I picked up the remnants of a voice.

A girl's voice.

Dina.

I ran towards the sand cloud, ignoring Lydia's cry of confusion. I slowed as I heard another shout.

"C'mon, Beany, you can do it! Use Weather Ball!"

The Bellsprout launched what was growing to be its signature attack, absorbing the energy of the evening sun above and sending a powerful fiery sphere at its opponent. I finally reached my sister's side to find her in good health and cheer. I fell over.

"Oh, hi, Fin. How long have you been here?" she asked, ever oblivious.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," I muttered, rubbing exhaustion from my eyes.

"I found another Pokémon!" Dina plunged on, ignoring my plight. It was as if she had never seen a Pokémon before. Still, watching her face-splitting grin (which was nice to see considering she'd lost a gym challenge a few hours prior), I felt strangely younger. Kind of like I wanted to go on a journey again.

I shook my head. I was being ridiculous.

I scoured the battlefield for Dina's quarry, easily locating a Pokémon locked in battle with Beany. Actually, Beany was having a bit of trouble, which Dina was oblivious too.

"A Cacnea," Lydia said, coming up from behind me looking slightly winded. "I've heard stories about how it lures in its prey, but I never thought it could lure in humans too." She smirked at me. "You think its flowers smell like food? Sorry to tell you, but if you'd been a Pokémon, you'd be dinner."

"Shut up," I growled, blushing.

Gio finally reached us, his hands in his pockets, as if he had been taking a morning stroll. Without sparing a greeting, he squinted behind me and said, "The Bellsprout's havin' trouble."

"Eh?" Dina's head snapped over to her Pokémon, where he was being crushed under Cacnea's bulk. His wiry body did little to aid his plight, though he did slap his foe in the face a few times during his flailing.

I frowned and took a step closer to the wrestling Pokémon. "That's a rather big Cacnea," I noted. It sported a healthy green complexion that stood out in the barren desert, and it moved with a rare ease and confidence.

The spines on Cacnea's arms started glowing white, and I recognized the beginnings of a Pin Missile attack.

"Beany, Stun Spore!" Dina cried out. She'd made a good call, though I didn't quite fail to notice how she used the spores as an offensive move.

The Bellsprout quickly exhaled a cloud of golden-yellow spores, each glinting maliciously in the sun. The Cacnea evidently was not familiar with the dangers of the attack, as it chose to fire its Pin Missile over leaping away; as a result, an unhealthy dosage of Stun Spore hit it right in the face. The effects were immediate.

Beany hadn't managed to get away safely. For once, his body size served him well as a difficult target to hit, and most of the pins had harmlessly imbedded into the sand. A few hit their mark, scraping Beany's bulbous head or puncturing his leaves.

"Tell him to use Growth, Dina," I said.

She didn't question me, relaying my orders. "Growth, before it can recover."

Beany stilled, gathering energy into his cells. His wounds began to repair with alarming speed, appearing healthier than before. By the time Cacnea had managed to open its eyes and bring itself to a wobbly stand, Beany was ready and looking stronger than ever.

"Should use that move more often," grunted Gio, nodding towards Beany. "Looks like he's gettin' better at usin' it."

Dina glanced back at us quickly before turning her attention back to Beany. Sweat was pouring down her face and neck, but I couldn't tell whether it was the heat or the battle that was finally getting to her. "I'll try," she said, wiping her brow. "Beany, let's take it down with Vine Whip!"

Beany charged forward, sending two thick vines in the Cacnea's direction. The Cacnea shakily raised a glowing white arm, snaring the vines with its pines. Then in a jerky motion, the Cacnea yanked on the vines, sending Beany hurtling forward. Then it sent another Pin Missile at Bellsprout, catching the other Grass type off guard.

"What was that, Fin?" Dina asked me, chewing on her lip.

"Looked like Needle Arm. This is one smart Cacnea. Instead of just bashing Beany with a Needle Arm, which wouldn't have hurt him much, it used a super-effective Pin Missile instead," I explained.

"Do Pokémon usually act that way without a trainer to guide them?" Lydia asked. I was surprised to find her aptly watching me as if she was actually interested in the answer instead of just waiting for her next scoop.

"Uh, yeah, of course," I fumbled. "Pokémon are smart." _Most of them. _"They have to battle constantly in the wild: for food, territory, mates – even against trainers trying to catch them. They're probably even smarter than a lot of trainers."

Lydia looked thoughtful, and I felt slightly guilty for no reason. It wasn't like I was hiding anything, I just…

My mind drifted to the heavy Poké Ball hanging at my waist. One of the exceptions. Pokémon Vic trained had had all natural instinct beaten out of them. They had no mind, nor will, of their own. Their utility was derived solely from their brute strength and the strength of their owner's mind.

Dina didn't comment, but I could tell she was listening by the way she was staring holes into Beany's head. Here was a thought she'd probably never considered: that Pokémon knew more than her.

"Remember?" I nudged her gently. "Beany knew to use Weather Ball against Mawile before you did."

"I know," she whispered back, clutching a pearly Poké Ball tightly. Then she raised her voice as if shaking off a haze, "Beany, Vine Whip again!"

The Bellsprout quivered before heeding her orders, sending more vines with visible hesitation. I could tell it was remembering Cacnea's previous counterattack. Luckily, Cacnea's reaction time was slowed by paralysis, and the vines encircled the Grass type and bound its main body.

"Pull it closer," Dina yelled, "and use Weather Ball!"

Bellsprout was quicker to react now; its vines receded rapidly, yanking Cacnea forward. The desert dweller attempted to wrest free from its grip, but its efforts were interrupted by the Weather Ball. Taking in energy from the dying evening sun, Bellsprout's attack took on a fiery red hue. Cacnea received a direct hit from the super-effective fire type move, landing in the distance about five yards from Beany.

Dina let out a shriek and rushed over to her Pokémon, picking him up and spinning him in circles. I could vaguely make out something like, "We won! We actually won!"

Beany looked much less excited, and I suspected he disliked being lifted so high up at all.

I gave her a minute before reminding her why she'd been fighting. "Don't forget to actually catch the blasted thing, squirt."

She paused in her antics, dropping Beany (who landed with a muffled thud and then scuttled away to safety). Her Poké Ball was out in a second, and Dina ran over to the fallen Cacnea. "It's cute," she observed, tapping it once with the red and white sphere. The unconscious Pokémon couldn't put up much of a fight; the Poké Ball shuddered and closed with a click.

"I'll name it Cotton Candy," she said happily. "That's what she smells like."

…

**Route 111**

Lydia looked at the sky for the umpteenth time as the last rays of sun peeked out behind the horizon. "We should really get going now," she said. "The desert's dangerous at night. Look, there's no one else around anymore."

The flat terrain made it easy to see far away, and she was right; there was no one in sight for miles. I looked back to Gio and Dina, who were hunched over Beany and the newly christened Cotton Candy (Cotta for short, Dina had said). The older trainer had some kind of first aid kit spread out in front of him, and he was treating the injured Pokémon.

"Gimme a second," he muttered, spraying some kind of blue bottle on to Cotta's burns. The cactus Pokémon opened her eyes, staring at us like she'd never seen us before. Beany, who had been treated previously, wiggled away from Gio and hid behind Dina, but the Cacnea didn't display any violent intentions.

She looked…resigned to being caught? Whatever.

"I agree with Lydia. We've overstayed our welcome." Just as I said that, a harsh gale blew past us, picking up clumps of sand. All around us, the winds were growing stronger and stronger. That shook Gio out of his trance. He quickly packed his things and got to his feet.

"Right. We should get goin'."

We hadn't gotten far when it became apparent we would be caught in the storm. The sky and stars were indistinguishable from the flurry of sand overhead, and we had to yell through the sandstorm to be heard. I didn't even know where we were going – only hoped it was a way out.

Dina had called Beany and Cotta back in fear that the storm would pick them up and carry them away; currently, I had my sister's wrist in a vice grip so that she couldn't get lost. Lydia's long hair, whipping back and forth with the wind, kept me from staying too far. I couldn't see Gio at all.

"Where are – where're we going!" Dina screamed, spitting out sand. Her free hand was covering her eyes to protect them. I had my sunglasses on, which helped a little but didn't keep the sand away from my face. I could feel the impact of each grain as they hit my body and could only hope they didn't break the skin.

Lydia, who for some reason was faring better than us all, glanced back, and I could see the faint outline of her outstretched arm pointing at something. "There's a light!" she called back. "Some maniac – built a house here!"

I nodded my understanding. Hopefully Gio was somewhere close by.

One arduous, painful, and tiring trek later, we were safely within the gates of what turned out to be a giant mansion. The walls were stone and built high, most likely to keep the desert wind out. The actual mansion was up ahead behind a sprawling garden. While beautiful under normal circumstances, even Lydia didn't have the energy to fuss over it.

We stumbled over ourselves in a hurry to make it inside. Taking off my sunglasses (which were now scratched so badly I could barely see through them), I noticed Gio right beside Dina. We followed Lydia through the grand doors, shutting them firmly behind us. Only then did we collapse in exhaustion.

After what seemed like a year of heavy breathing, the cloud of fatigue lifted from my mind, allowing me to actually think clearly. I sat up, releasing Dina's hand, and surveyed our surroundings.

The manor was impressive. We appeared to be in some kind of great hall, complete with large staircases leading to the second floor. There were also two hallways on either side of the stairs, branching off deeper into the mansion. The floor was stone tile; its cool temperature helped bring down the fervor of the situation.

Overhead, a chandelier twinkled at us. I frowned, wondering why it was lit unless someone was expecting us, but that couldn't be possible. Moments later, approaching footsteps – the sharp click of high heels - alerted us that someone was coming.

Gio picked himself off the ground, brushing sand out of his clothes and hair. Lydia did the same thing; it seemed like her hair absorbed sand like a sponge soaked up water. My dear, dear sister groaned in acknowledgement and remained sprawled on the floor.

The footsteps stopped. I looked up to see…

Uh…

"I'm clearly unconscious," I muttered, rubbing my eyes. The visage in front of me didn't change.

It was a Pokémon, I was sure. Some bipedal, blue canine. I'd never run across it in my travels, but this wasn't what had caught me off guard. Someone had dressed the poor Pokémon in…uh…amaiduniform.

"A Lucario," supplied Lydia. "That's a rare Pokémon there." I wasn't looking at her, but I could hear the smirk in her voice. "A very special Pokémon indeed."

Dina rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows. Laying her eyes on the strange, uh, sight gave her a jolt of energy, because she leapt up. "Oh! I've seen one of these! On TV. I was watching one of Brawly's videos. It's from Sinnoh."

…was no one else going to ask the question? I grimaced. "Does it normally…wear…that…?"

The Pokémon had so far remained silent, although it did look suitably ashamed of its attire. It wore a frilly headband and, ah, a puffy blue dress, complete with a lacy white apron, fishnet stockings, and black stilettos. It also didn't appear to be meeting our gazes. I concluded its trainer was probably psycho.

Briefly, it inclined its head as if asking for us to follow it. I turned to the others; we _were_, I suppose, guests, so we should listen to it, right? I assumed the Pokémon was supposed to be the…maid.

Dina had no qualms, jumping up and following it. The, uh (what was it called), maid turned around and led her back to where it had come from. Gio shrugged and went along, followed closely by Lydia. I sighed, rethought my life choices, and tailed them.

The hallway was as nicely furnished as the rest of the manor. Large portraits adorned the walls, each grandly framed. I guessed they were probably worth as much as a car. Diversity was definitely not an issue here, I thought, as we passed by a suit of shiny armor.

The maid eventually stopped at a single door (that still looked expensive). It reached for the door handle and slowly revealed a room, about the size as a room at a Pokémon Center.

"Anticlimactic," I mumbled, peering into what appeared to be a guest room. There were two bunk beds alongside opposing walls. Just enough beds for all of us. I stared at the maid, wondering if it just had a hospitable streak or if it had been ordered to bring us here.

"Thanks!" Dina chirped, dropping her things and scaling a ladder. There she dived into a bed and snuggled into the sheets. "Ooh, it's so soft."

Once we were all inside, the maid silently closed the door. I heard the turning of a lock, and then the retreating high-heeled footsteps that signaled we were alone. Lydia looked at the clean, inviting bed and then back at the door. There was another door beside the bed leading to a bathroom and shower.

"We could break down the door," she said thoughtfully, "and run away before our captors have any idea we're gone, or we could sleep in a nice, comfortable bed and have an honest-to-goodness shower." She dropped her stuff and locked herself in the bathroom. It wasn't surprising.

"Any idea who owns this crib?" I asked Gio. He shrugged, putting his bag at the foot of the bed, before yanking off his shirt and shaking out waves of sand. Dina was already fast asleep. "How do we even get ourselves into these things?"

…

**Strange Mansion**

I woke up early and snagged another shower after Dina. I briefly felt sorry for the owner of the manor because his bathroom was a mess of water and sand. So were his beds. No matter how much I scrubbed, I was still finding sand hidden in my clothes and hair.

I emerged from the wrecked bathroom to find Lydia waiting for me. She threw my sneakers at me in rapid succession, grinning when I only caught the first. "Thanks for letting me borrow them," she said. I couldn't tell if she was being earnest.

"Where's everyone else?"

She gestured to the door; I hadn't noticed it was open. "Getting breakfast. The Lucario came back – yes, it's still wearing the maid outfit – and led them to the kitchen."

As if reading her mind, the Lu-whatsit appeared at the doorway, ready to serve. It still showed no sign of speaking, and after we made to follow it, it briskly turned away and moved farther down the hall.

Dina and Gio were in the kitchen like Lydia had said, along with two others I didn't know. And one I did know. One I knew very well.

"Tuesday," I breathed. At that moment, running and never looking back seemed like an attractive idea.

He was standing next to Dina, engaging in what appeared to be a very intense conversation. Neither appeared to notice I was there, but Gio did. He gave a start and then a wild, slightly guilty expression overcame his features. What was up with that? But more importantly, _what was he doing here?_

Oh, god, this wasn't his mansion, was it? No, I don't remember him being _this_ rich. It probably belonged to one of the other two. I focused on them, resolving to ignore Tu – that guy for as long as possible.

The older of the extras was a guy in his late twenties. He had wavy blonde hair in a short ponytail and wore an amiable smile. He was lean – almost flimsy – and dressed sharply. The other was a short girl around my age with, ugh, red hair. She wore black goggles with a strange design on her head and quite honestly looked like a loose cannon.

I assumed the pansy-looking guy owned the manor, probably.

The maid tentatively approached its master (of course it'd be him) and bowed. Then…_Tuesday_ turned around, and I got a good look at him.

Well. He'd certainly changed since the last time I saw him. The first thing I noticed was his hair, which was, of all colors, pink. I knew he was a natural brunette, and it was just like him to try to dye it himself and mess up. You could easily spot his roots through the abundant splotches of pink.

Other than that, he was looking great – especially with the huge grin that broke out on his face. "Fin," he said after a lengthy pause. "Fin Commons."

"That's me," I said lamely. I guess I was still in shock. And what was he wearing? Some strange white getup – a jacket with a golden border and matching pants. On the back, in gold, there was a cursive I. And on his wrist – was that a handcuff?

"Well, I, for one, am happy to see you again," Tuesday said. He didn't seem to expect a reply, which was good because I didn't intend to give him one. Beside me, Lydia shook with anticipation. This was Tuesday King, after all. Pokémon trainer extraordinaire. He turned to her, his perfect smile ever present. "Pleased to meet you, miss."

"Tuesday King," she said, stunned.

"I'm honored that you've heard of me. It's been a while since I headlined, anyway," he said. I gritted my teeth.

"Look," I snapped. "Is there a reason we're here? Because if not, and you were just feeling hospitable, thank you very much, we enjoyed our stay, and now we're leaving."

Dina looked at me with wide eyes, and Gio frowned. Tuesday, of course, clasped his hands together and laughed. I sighed, my anger evaporating. He never laughed maliciously, not even in the face of his greatest enemy. He always acted as if everyone was his friend. Even me.

"Come now, Fin, I won't take much of your time. I'll even make it worth your visit. Besides, I suspect you'll want to hear what I have to say." He smiled some more, and I could guess what he was here for. Damn it.

"Fine," Gio butted in, to my immense surprise. "But first, introduce your…friends."

Heads swiveled to face Pansy-man and Loose-cannon. The guy spoke first. "I'm Luca Lucasson. This is one of my houses. I'm, ah…" He shot Tuesday a nervous glance, as if he wasn't sure if he should continue.

The girl interrupted. "And I'm Jay Camillo." She grinned, but her smile was much more ruthless than Luca's. "Now that we're all acquainted, perhaps we should get down to business."

I assumed they were Tuesday's lackeys, seduced into joining him in his epic journey to save the world. That, I was completely fine with as long as he left me and Dina out of it. Unfortunately, neither he nor…Vic wanted to do that. I shot a disgusted glare in his direction, not really surprised when he ignored me.

"Fine, let's get it over with," I muttered. Tuesday held up one finger in the universal 'wait' sign.

"Not so fast," he said sweetly. "We're going to split up. Two at a time." He pointed first at Gio, and then to me. "You two. Luca, Jay, you know what to do."

The lackeys nodded, stepping closer to Dina. Lydia shook herself out of her stupor and followed them, while Gio took a post closer to me. Unbelievable, that they were taking orders from this dimwit. Not that I could blame him, I thought bitterly; Tuesday King had an aura of natural authority.

As the three of us filed out of the kitchen, I saw a blue blur in my peripheral vision. A glance back revealed that blue, uh, Pokémon had left Tuesday's side to stay behind. Dina caught my gaze, shocking me with her resolute expression, before we turned a corner and the kitchen fell out of sight.

He led us down a flight of stairs into what seemed like an elaborate basement, still elaborately furnished, of course. There, yet another person I didn't know was waiting for us.

"Your Majesty?" she asked, stepping into the light. I was surprised by how…uh, pretty she was. She was slim and tall, with black hair and violet eyes. Of course, to be under Tuesday, she must've been insane.

"Introducing Violet Hamilton," Tuesday said, the ghost of a grin gracing his features, "my lovely secretary." 'Violet' seemed a little embarrassed by her position, but didn't comment. "Now on to business. Have a seat, gentlemen." He pointed to a red loveseat, expecting us to sit down.

We did.

"Fin," he started after a length pause, "do you know what I've been doing for the past year?"

I didn't know exactly, but I could guess. Still, one look at his expectant face made me want to lie. "Flunking fashion school," I growled.

Tuesday laughed. "Come now, Fin. We haven't seen each other for a year; perhaps a little civility is in order?"

"What've you been doin'?" Gio asked before I could snap back. He was getting more outspoken, I discovered.

"Excellent question, Afternoon!" I blinked, surprise replacing my irritation. From the look on Gio's face, I probably shouldn't ask. "You are probably aware that our dear friend Vic has been working on her Apocalypse Project V.3."

Oh, yes, I was aware. Very aware.

"For some reason or other, she's under the impression that the world is no longer worthy. She plans to destroy it." He glanced at Gio. "But she intends to have her fun before doomsday, as you know."

"I don't understand," Gio said, but he was ignored.

"We believe that this Project will be the last; she's unearthed Team Magma's and Team Aqua's plans. This time around, she is much more powerful than I am. In order to alleviate this disadvantage, I have been recruiting allies. Powerful trainers who wish to help – to join the Inquisition."

"Your lackeys upstairs," I said. Trust him to create an entire organization to combat Vic.

"Colleagues," he corrected. "Luca, as you can tell, has the means to fund nearly all of our ventures, while Jay has beaten the Kanto Elite Four. Even Vi here reached Best 8 in the Johto and Sinnoh Conferences."

I gritted my teeth. "Wow, quite a collection you have there. I'm sure you'll win against Vic. Can we mediocre trainers leave now?"

"Far from mediocre, Fin." When Tuesday smiled now, every trace of idiocy fled from his being. This was Tuesday King, who had swept the Ever Grande Conference, rising from relative obscurity to fame in the matter of days. "In fact, you're already quite involved. Or don't you remember?"

He knew. Crap, crap, crap. He knew about Vic, he knew about Camerupt, he knew about Dina. I was frozen in my seat. I didn't know what to say.

"What do you mean?" Gio said, his steady voice anchoring me.

"Aisha, Marceau, the professors," Tuesday listed, watching me like a vulture watches a dying animal. "Even Giovanni here is only with you because I led him to you."

My eyes widened, but I wasn't that surprised. "Then we dump him and Lydia here," I said calmly. Gio didn't even flinch. "I grab Dina and never take any other companions."

"Of all people," Tuesday purred, "you will never be alone. You are taking the gym challenge, correct?"

He waited for his words to sink in. I dug my nails into the sofa. A series of retorts whizzed through my head, but what came out of my mouth was, "Brawly, that traitor."

Tuesday nodded. "That's right. The Pokémon League itself has recognized Vic as a threat. The gym leaders have been preoccupied lately, investigating a series of disasters across Hoenn. Do you recognize the severity of this now?"

Something had been bothering me lately. Something that many people had mentioned offhandedly, but… I gathered my courage. "What happened in Fallarbor?" When I got no response, I pressed harder. "Tuesday. What happened in Fallarbor?"

"Um, Your Majesty?" Violet said. Both Gio and I flinched. We'd forgotten she was there. "It appears Luca and Jay are done upstairs."

The ferocity Tuesday had developed during our discussion disappeared. "Ah, is that so?" he replied cheerfully. "We shouldn't keep them waiting, should we, gentlemen?"

"No, we shouldn't," I agreed hollowly. But Tuesday stopped us once more with a hand gesture.

"One last thing you should know," he said, his words directed solely towards me. "We are the Inquisition. Our goal is to stop the Apocalypse Project. That's it. Fin, you and I are alike. We are made of the same material. We have made the same mistakes. And we can also correct them. Please sleep on it."

As we retraced our steps, I wondered what else Tuesday was hiding. Surely he knew about my and, ah, Vic's deal. I grimaced. She would probably be visiting me soon. I pushed those thoughts aside when Gio stepped up beside me.

"I take it you're not friends with him?" Gio said quietly.

"What gave it away?" I grumbled. We emerged in the kitchen to find Dina and Lydia sitting on the kitchen stools across from Luca and Jay. They at least didn't seem upset. Just curious. When Lydia met my gaze, a million questions crossed her face, although she didn't voice them.

"Well, I'm certain we'll being seeing a lot of you, Fin," Tuesday said, clasping his hands together. "Maid? If you would, kindly escort Fin and his friends to the front gates."

The maid scrambled to do so. We were herded through the manor like Mareep until we finally reached the great hall; someone had been cleaning since there was no trace of last night's sand.

"We should go," Gio grunted, lapsing back into his old self.

I nodded. The door opened easily enough, letting in welcome rays of sunshine. The garden truly was beautiful.

Just before I walked out, someone cleared her throat behind me. I glanced back to see the secretary, Violet.

"I'm sorry for Tuesday," she said sincerely. "He means well. He's just, well, strange in how he shows it."

The rest of the group was up ahead, making their way through the garden. "I know. I just wish he didn't show it so often."

The secretary laughed lightly. Before I closed the door, I turned to face her. "Can I ask one last thing? Why me? Why do they always choose me?"

"Because they respect you," Violet replied. There was no trace of deception or manipulation on her face.

I sighed and closed the door.

…**that was a long chapter. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I really like using Tuesday and Fin, especially in the same vicinity, but I guess it's up to you guys to tell if I pulled it off or not.**

**So, a lot of people used the event offer to find out what Fin's other Pokémon are. I was surprised no one asked what Lute's deal was with joining Team Aqua. ^^ Also, there's a new poll up, so if you haven't voted on it, please do!**

**Useless fact: Wae's greatest hero is Kyogre.**

**As always, thanks for reading!**

**Credits**

**Lydia Wist belongs to Windy Rain**

**Giovanni Cliff belongs to Ano-chan**

**Jay Camillo belongs to RisemboolRanger**

**Violet Hamilton belongs to Kittiled**

**Nurse Joy belongs to Nintendo**

**Dina, Fin, Tuesday, Vic, and Luca belong to me**


End file.
